It is hard to find a part of the country that has not adopted a ‘silicon’ prefix, from the silicon fens to the silicon glens. Nonetheless, ‘silicon gorge’, the technology region reaching out from Bristol, is a significant contributor to the UK technology industry.
Major technology companies are located in the region, including Hewlett Packard – whose European research labs are based in Bristol – Orange and Motorola. As the home of Concorde, the region also has a strong reputation in the aerospace and defence sectors, with both Rolls Royce and BAE Systems having significant design and manufacturing facilities located around Bristol.
