Abstract The ability of the semiconductor industry to fabricate complex electronic circuits containing, say, 10000 components in a single crystal of silicon of dimensions 5 mm x 5 mm x 0.2 mm has become almost a commonplace, as the basis for semiconductor memories, microprocessors, calculators, electronic watches, etc. It has led to the concept of ‘the pervasiveness of silicon technology’. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how and why this technology has developed to date, and to consider the ways in which past trends are likely to continue in the next decade. In particular it suggests ways in which the skills of the telecommunications system designer and of the silicon process engineer need to be brought more closely together in the future in order to ensure that the telecommunications industry is able to make optimum use of this dominant field of electronic technology - the silicon integrated circuit.