President Tsai Ing-wen conferred the Order of Propitious Clouds upon Morris Chang, founder and ex-chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Sept. 14 for his contributions to the development of Taiwan’s high-tech industry.
As the driving force behind the world’s No.1 dedicated integrated circuit foundry, Chang enhanced the global visibility of Taiwan via TSMC’s passion for innovation and technical capacity building, Tsai said. This honor also reflects the deep appreciation of the government and people for his efforts in fast-tracking the nation’s industrial development, she added.
According to Tsai, Chang first utilized his considerable experience and know-how in the 1980s as head of state-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan. He went on to establish TSMC in nearby Hsinchu Science Park and pioneered the pure-play foundry business model by focusing solely on IC manufacturing, she said.
Under Chang’s exceptional leadership, TSMC helped birth a complete semiconductor industry in Taiwan, propelled the development of numerous related sectors and positioned itself as the most reliable supplier in the global IC supply chain, Tsai added.
One of Chang’s most important legacies, Tsai said, is his insistence on TSMC retaining its core technologies in Taiwan as evidenced by the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year on a fab set to produce the world’s most advanced 5-nanometer chips.
In response, Chang said he is moved by the recognition and wishes to share it with those who assisted in making TSMC the international powerhouse it is today.
Despite the company’s success, Chang cautioned that the road ahead is not a smooth one and TSMC faces tremendous challenges such as less than optimal supplies of electricity and water, rising nationalism in major export markets like China and scarcity of talent.
Chang, who retired in early June, said he hopes the government will continue to support the homegrown high-tech industry and expects the new TSMC management team to keep the firm at the head of the pack while striving to deliver technology breakthroughs. (SFC-E)
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