
Taiwanese semiconductor veteran Chiang Shang-yi comes out of retirement to join Foxconn as top chip adviser
- Chiang joined the world’s largest iPhone maker a year after he resigned as vice-chairman of China’s top foundry SMIC in November 2021 to ‘enjoy retirement life’
- Hon Hai did not disclose the terms of Chiang’s employment, but said he will provide ‘advice on global semiconductor expansion and technical guidance’
China’s SMIC sees weak chip demand into 2023 but committed to capacity expansion
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hon Hai did not disclose the terms of Chiang’s employment as an adviser, but said he will provide the company "with advice on global semiconductor expansion and technical guidance”.
Chiang, a US citizen, on Tuesday confirmed to the South China Morning Post that he has returned to Taiwan from Silicon Valley.

After leaving SMIC’s board in 2019, Chiang became chief executive at the now-defunct Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (HSMC) in the city of Wuhan, which local authorities had hoped would transform the capital of central Hubei province into a leading chip-making base on the mainland.
He joined SMIC for the second time in December 2020 as vice-chairman. However, three days later the US imposed trade sanctions on the Chinese foundry, barring it from purchasing advanced chip making equipment for semiconductors at 10-nanometre node or below.
