TSMC Founder Morris Chang
Acquired
Jan 27
TSMC Founder Morris Chang
TSMC Founder Morris Chang
Acquired
Jan 27
This podcast delves into the remarkable journey of TSMC, featuring a rare English interview with its founder, Dr. Morris Chang. The conversation explores pivotal moments in TSMC's history, including its relationship with NVIDIA and Apple, strategic decisions that shaped its dominance, and lessons learned from industry challenges.
Dr. Morris Chang discusses key turning points in TSMC’s history, such as resolving conflicts with NVIDIA and securing Apple’s business. He reflects on leadership challenges during the 2008 financial crisis, emphasizing the importance of workforce integrity and trust-building with clients. The podcast highlights TSMC’s strategic focus on technological advancement, particularly at the 28-nanometer node, and its pure-play foundry model, which avoids competing with customers. Additionally, it covers TSMC’s financial planning, competitive edge over Intel, and the semiconductor industry’s self-reinforcing growth dynamics. These insights reveal how TSMC became a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing.
02:59
02:59
Jensen Huang impressed Morris Chang with his optimism and honesty about NVIDIA's financial state.
31:45
31:45
Resolved NVIDIA dispute with a $100 million offer over pizza and salad.
39:04
39:04
Setting TSMC's R&D budget at 8% of revenue eliminated yearly negotiations.
59:03
59:03
The speaker combined TSMC's advanced and mainstream operation groups in 2009.
1:08:14
1:08:14
Jeff Williams pitched TSMC to foundry wafers for Apple during a dinner meeting.
1:21:37
1:21:37
TSMC decided to borrow after consulting Goldman Sachs
1:35:09
1:35:09
ServiceNow integrates AI agents across business sectors on an enterprise-grade platform.
1:43:41
1:43:41
Intel's customers in Taiwan disliked and distrusted it due to a lack of responsiveness.
1:48:29
1:48:29
Dividing value created between TSMC and its customers is a personal CEO decision.
2:09:20
2:09:20
Bill Bain left BCG to start his own firm due to the growth imperative.
2:38:55
2:38:55
Accurate market demand forecasting is critical for profitability in semiconductor manufacturing.
2:45:31
2:45:31
TSMC has shown remarkable growth since its inception in 1987.
