TSMC founder Morris Chang says China’s semiconductor industry still five years behind despite decades of subsidies

  • Chang said chip making is a vital industry for Taiwan, with a profound impact on the daily lives of its people, the island’s economy, and national defence
  • Samsung Electronics remains TSMC’s biggest rival in outsourced wafer fabrication, with South Korea enjoying many of the same advantages as Taiwan, he said

TSMC founder Morris Chang speaks at a forum hosted by the United Daily News (UDN) Group in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Photo: Bloomberg

In a rare public appearance since retiring nearly three years ago, Morris Chang, the 89-year-old founder of the world’s largest contract chip maker, said China is not yet a competitor in chipmaking and that Taiwan should defend its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing.

Chang, who established Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) in 1987, is seen as the father of Taiwan’s success in the foundry business. At a forum hosted by Economic Daily in Taipei on Wednesday, Chang spoke about separate efforts by China and the US to build up their own chip-making capabilities.

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