Silicium

What Silicium does

Silicium is a French non-profit cultural association (Association Loi 1901 d'intérêt général) founded in 1994 in Toulouse, dedicated to the preservation, documentation, and public presentation of video game and computing heritage. The organization maintains one of the largest private collections of vintage computing and gaming hardware in France — thousands of items stored across 120+ meters of shelving in the Bunker Silicium, anchored by a Hewlett-Packard 85 donated in 1989. Silicium operates without government subsidies, funding itself through membership fees (€8–€64 annually across four tiers: 8 bits, 16 bits, 32 bits, Le méga), tax-deductible donations enabled by its 2015 intérêt général designation, book and merchandise sales, and occasional paid exhibition services. The volunteer-driven organization is governed by President René Speranza, Webmaster Sébastien Périn, and Forum Administrator/Secretary Jean-François Laroche.

The association's core offerings span Silicium Editions publications — reference books including Le Guide des Micro-Ordinateurs (€35), Le Guide des Consoles de Jeux Anciennes (€28), Manettes & Pixels (€35), the MiniGuide Dreamcast (€6.80), and the "32 ans" commemorative volume — as well as the free Gazette des Pocketicaires fanzine, edited retro games (Vectrom for Vectrex, Interpol for Videopac, Cocoleco for Colecovision), and the Occitel Mini open-source hardware console. Services include modular themed exhibitions (Whizz Machines, GamExpo, L'Épopée du Numérique), equipment loans to cultural institutions such as La Villette and the Musée d'Art Moderne de Saint-Étienne, conference delivery, and the annual Vieumikro convention held since 1996. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored on the forum.silicium.org platform, partnerships with Artilect Fablab and Etincelle Coworking in Toulouse, recurring presence at FOSDEM Brussels, TGS Toulouse, Stunfest Rennes, NOGA Nîmes, and other European events, and a multimedia partnership with the Lord Paddle YouTube channel.

Customers fall into four segments: retrocomputing enthusiasts (the 100+ members), the general public attending exhibitions, cultural institutions and event organizers receiving equipment loans or co-produced exhibitions, and students/educational institutions. The association also serves the film industry through occasional vintage-equipment loans for productions. Total revenue is unstated but, given member counts and book pricing, is most plausibly in the low tens of thousands of euros per year, with donations as the most material uncertainty.

Name

Silicium

Legal name

Silicium (Association Loi 1901 d'intérêt général)

Website

https://silicium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Silicium is a 1994-founded French non-profit association preserving video game and computing heritage through a large private vintage hardware collection, reference publications, edited retro games, exhibition loans, and the annual Vieumikro convention serving members and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Retrocomputing heritage
• Video game preservation
• Vintage computing collection
• Retrogaming community
• Cultural heritage association

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (cotisations): Annual membership fees at four levels (8 bits: €8, 16 bits: €16, 32 bits: €32, Le méga: €64). Members receive a diploma and annual fiscal donation certificates.
2. Book and publication sales: Silicium Editions sells books including '32 ans' (€32), 'Le Guide des Micro-Ordinateurs' (€35), 'Le Guide des Consoles de Jeux Anciennes' (€28), 'Manettes & Pixels' (€35), and the MiniGuide Dreamcast (€6.80). Sales via the website and at events, with shipping costs added.
3. Tax-deductible donations: As a recognized association d'intérêt général since 2015, Silicium accepts donations (cash or in-kind) that are tax-deductible at 66% for French taxpayers, within a 20% income tax ceiling. No government subsidies are received.
4. Merchandise (t-shirts): Silicium sells t-shirts and other merchandise at events and via the website as supplementary revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Silicium is a French non-profit cultural association (Loi 1901 d'intérêt général) that preserves, documents, and presents video game and computing heritage. Its commercial offerings include Silicium Editions books and reference guides, edited retro games, an annual convention (Vieumikro), modular exhibitions (Whizz Machines, L'Épopée du Numérique, GamExpo), equipment loans to institutions, and conferences.

Product overview

Silicium is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) dedicated to preserving video game and computing heritage since 1994. Its offerings center on Silicium Editions publications (reference books like Le Guide des Micro-Ordinateurs, Le Guide des Consoles de Jeux Anciennes, and the annual Gazette des Pocketicaires fanzine), edited games (Vectrom, Interpol, Cocoleco), and services including modular exhibitions (Whizz Machines, GamExpo, L'Épopée du Numérique), equipment loans, and event organization (Vieumikro convention, conferences). The portfolio is unified by the mission of preserving and sharing retrocomputing and video game heritage with the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Silicium Editions: Publishing division of Silicium that produces books, guides, and games related to retrocomputing and retrogaming.

Products and services

• Le Guide des Micro-Ordinateurs Encyclopedia of 250 microcomputer models from 1973-1993, extensively illustrated with 400+ photos, spanning multiple editions. Reference book for retrocomputing enthusiasts.
• Le Guide des Consoles de Jeux Anciennes Reference book covering 54+ console models from 1971-2001, with 400+ photos and tested game recommendations. For retrogaming enthusiasts and collectors.
• MiniGuide Dreamcast 48-page color guide covering Sega Dreamcast history, published for the 2012-2013 Silicium exhibition.
• 32 ans

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of continuous operation preserving digital heritage since 1994
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fablab ArtilectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Silicium partners with Artilect Fablab (Toulouse) for joint events, notably the Sargon day in March 2025. Artilect provides the venue for this type of tech-focused community event. Artilect is also the location of Silicium's headquarters at 10 rue Tripière, Toulouse.
• FOSDEM (Free and Open-source Software Developers' European Meeting)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Silicium presented its Occitel Mini open-source hardware project at FOSDEM 2025 (January 31–February 2) at Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus du Solbosch. Silicium also presented at FOSDEM 2019, marking a recurring partnership with this major European open-source developer event.
• NOGA Nîmes (Festival du jeu vidéo et des arts numériques)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Silicium participated in NOGA Nîmes's 10th edition (December 2024) at the Maison Carrée, presenting a selection of vintage French game consoles with emphasis on Société Occitane and the Occitel Mini. Silicium also delivered a conference on the Occitel brand history at this event.
• Lord Paddle (YouTube channel)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2020Silicium partnered with the Lord Paddle YouTube channel (run by David and Quentin) to supply vintage platforms and games for video production. This collaboration provides Silicium with multimedia exposure and reaches new audiences interested in retrogaming through professionally produced content.
• Etincelle Coworking (Toulouse)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Etincelle Coworking (36 Rue d'Alsace Lorraine, Toulouse) is the venue sponsor for the Vieumikro Next Gen convention since 2018, replacing the previous Labège location. This central Toulouse venue provides easy access by public transport for the annual event.
• Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017Silicium partnered with INA for a conference at Quai des Savoirs Toulouse in April 2017 titled 'A chronology of the history of video games in the last century.' INA provided archival footage and Silicium provided vintage hardware to complement the presentation. The event was free and open to the public.
• iMal ( Brussels)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016Silicium contributed expertise through a maintenance workshop session at Digital Media Archaeology in Practice at iMal Brussels (April 9–11, 2015). Workshops were conducted in English with limited places, demonstrating Silicium's recognized expertise in digital heritage preservation beyond France.
• Ludomonde (ludothèque, Toulouse)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Silicium regularly holds Gros Pixels gaming evenings at Ludomonde's Salle Achiary location, every Friday from 7pm to midnight. These evenings offer a selection of vintage and contemporary games for the public, free of charge, with Silicium providing the hardware and expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Computer History Museum: The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA is the world's leading institution preserving computing history. Like Silicium, it maintains a major physical collection of vintage hardware, exhibits to the public, hosts an active enthusiast community, and preserves software/printed documentation — making it the closest international peer for Silicium's preservation and exhibition model.
• Computerspielemuseum Berlin: Berlin museum dedicated to video game culture and history with interactive exhibits and rotating programming. Directly comparable to Silicium's gaming-heritage preservation focus and its modular exhibition services delivered to external venues.
• Musée Bolo (EPFL): Swiss museum housed at EPFL focused on computers, gaming, and digital culture. Closely parallels Silicium's specialty-museum model applied to computing and gaming, with comparable scale and volunteer/community-driven ethos.
• Musée de l'Informatique (Île-de-France): French computing museum preserving vintage hardware and software. Direct peer in computing heritage preservation with similar mission of public exhibitions, equipment restoration, and educational outreach — albeit with different geographic and operational footprint.
• Musée du Jeu Vidéo (Paris): Paris-based association dedicated to the history of video games in France. Direct French peer to Silicium's gaming-heritage mission, with overlapping community events, publications, and a similar volunteer-driven, association-based structure.
• The Strong National Museum of Play: Rochester, NY museum focused on the history of play, with one of the world's largest video game and interactive entertainment archives. Shares Silicium's mission of preserving play and computing heritage, with comparable curatorial depth in gaming history and strong educational programming.
• Centre for Computing History: Cambridge, UK-based museum dedicated to preserving computing history. Operates a physical collection, runs hands-on exhibitions and educational programs, and engages the retrocomputing community — closely paralleling Silicium's combination of heritage preservation, public exhibition, and enthusiast engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Musée des Arts et Métiers: Paris-based museum of science and technology, the flagship French institution for technological heritage. While broader in thematic scope, it includes computing history exhibits and shares Silicium's mission of preserving scientific and technical heritage for the public.
• Internet Archive: San Francisco-based non-profit preserving digital cultural artifacts including software, games, video, and printed materials. Shares Silicium's preservation mission and free public-access ethos, though operates primarily digitally rather than through a physical collection.
• Deutsches Museum: Munich's flagship science and technology museum, with substantial computing and information-technology collections. Operates at much larger scale and budget than Silicium but addresses an overlapping audience interested in technological heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/siliciumasso
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assosilicium

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silicium