The response of a range of porous Si and poly Si films to storage in acellular simulated body fluids is summarised and its implications discussed. It is suggested that the combination of VLSI technology, micromachining and surface microstructuring achievable with silicon, could establish this prominent semiconductor as a very useful biomaterial by the next century. The ‘biocompatibility’ of a variety of silicon microstructures, and even bulk silicon has received surprisingly little study, but now warrants detailed in-vitro and in-vivo assessment.