Taiwan has edge on US, China: TSMC founder
Taiwan still leads the US and China in chipmaking, but it would be difficult for another local company to duplicate the success of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the firm’s founder, Morris Chang (張忠謀), said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a seminar on Taiwan’s competitiveness in chip production, the 89-year-old Chang said that Taiwan’s talent pool of quality engineers, technicians and factory workers is the main reason it has excelled in the semiconductor foundry business.
Another factor is Taiwan’s transportation network, which allows large and quick transfers of personnel in the country, he said at the seminar hosted by the Economic Daily News.
Chang, who retired from TSMC in 2018, also lauded the company’s professional managers, saying their leadership and devotion to research and development, coupled with workers’ efforts, and government and local support, had helped TSMC evolve into a world-class company.
The US, on the other hand, saw a decline in manufacturing decades ago, and has been focusing instead on research and development, and the financial sector, he said.
Although the US government has been increasing funding for its semiconductor industry, Chang said that he is not worried, because production costs are significantly higher in the US than in Taiwan.