Silicon Valley's top threat is China, survey finds

Computerworld - A significant number of high-level technology executives appear to believe Silicon Valley's days as the world's innovation hub are numbered.

At least that's the findings of a KPMG survey of 668 technology business executives at $1 billion-plus companies, start-ups and venture capital firms around the world.

Of those surveyed by the audit, tax and advisory firm, 44% believe it's likely that the "technology innovation center of the world," now in Silicon Valley, will shift to another country in the next four years.

The most likely choice among respondents is China.

Gary Matuszak, global chair and U.S. leader of KPMG's technology, media and telecommunications practice, said he was surprised by the response to the question of whether Silicon Valley will retain its lead, but also pointed out that a big percentage of the respondents, 42%, were from the Asia-Pacific -- and those executives were largely bullish on China.

KPMG added that 34% of survey respondents were from the Americas and 23% from Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Matuszak said he also found it surprising that 28% of U.S. respondents believe that it's likely that the world's innovation hub would shift from Silicon Valley during the next four years.

A larger percentage, 39%, of U.S. respondents said they expect the U.S. will retain its technology leadership role, while 32% were "middle of the road" on the question, he said.

Among the survey's China respondents, 60% felt the innovation center would change in the next four years. For those who believed a new Silicon Valley will emerge, the likely choice, not surprisingly, was China.

"Innovation is starting to happen in other parts of the world," said Matuszak, and the Chinese respondents, in particular, "believe that they will be on par with Silicon Valley."

Matuszak said the key takeaway from the survey isn't that Silicon Valley is becoming less of a force, but that other areas of the world are putting more emphasis on innovation.

"I don't believe that the center of innovation is going to change, certainly in the next four years," said Matuszak. Other parts of the world "underestimate what it takes to create the environment we have in Silicon Valley."

Matuszak said Silicon Valley is distinguished by an entire ecosystem that has been built up to support innovation activities. That ecosystem, he said, is the most difficult thing for another region to replicate.

China's growing tech capabilities have become a major concern in Washington. The country's innovation efforts were the subject of a hearing in May by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

At that hearing, Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology Innovation Foundation, told the commission that the Chinese "no longer want to dominate just cost-based commodity production and let us be the innovators. They also want win in innovation-based economic competition."