Morris Chang

Morris Chang

Morris Chang
Native name 張忠謀
Born (1931-07-10) 10 July 1931
Ningpo, Chekiang, Republic of China (now Ningbo, Zhejiang, China)
Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1952; M.S., 1953)
Stanford University (Ph.D., 1964)
Occupation Chairman and CEO of TSMC
Spouse(s) Sophia Chang Shu-fen

Morris Chang (Chinese: 張忠謀; pinyin: Zhāng Zhōngmóu; born July 10, 1931), is the founding Chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC) in 1987. TSMC pioneered the "dedicated silicon foundry" industry and is the largest silicon foundry in the world. Morris is known as the father of Taiwan's chip industry.

Biography

Chang was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang. When he was younger, he had wanted to become a writer, such as a novelist or journalist.[1] However, his father, an official in the Ningbo county government, persuaded him otherwise. In 1948, as China was in the height of the Chinese Civil War, Chang moved to Hong Kong. The very next year he moved yet again to the United States to attend Harvard University. He transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1952 and 1953, respectively. After leaving MIT without obtaining a Ph.D., he sought to find a job and was hired by Sylvania Semiconductor, then just known as a small semiconductor division of Sylvania Electric Products, in 1955.[2] Three years after working at Sylvania Semiconductor, he moved onto Texas Instruments in 1958, which was then rapidly rising in its field. After three years at TI, he rose to become the manager of the engineering section of the company. It was then, in 1961, that Texas Instruments decided to invest in him by giving him the opportunity to obtain his Ph.D or Doctorate degree. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1964.

During his 25-year career (1958–1983) at Texas Instruments, he rose up in the ranks to become the Group Vice President responsible for TI's worldwide semiconductor business. He left Texas Instruments to become President and Chief Operating Officer of General Instrument Corporation (1984–1985).

Morris Chang worked on a four-transistor project for TI where the manufacturing was done by IBM. This was one of the early semiconductor foundry relationships. Also at TI, Morris pioneered the then controversial idea of pricing semiconductors ahead of the cost curve, or sacrificing early profits to gain market share and achieve manufacturing yields that would result in greater long-term profits.

However, after he left General Instrument Corporation, the government of Taiwan recruited him to become Chairman and President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). As head of a government-sponsored non-profit, he was in charge of promoting industrial and technological development in Taiwan. Chang founded TSMC in 1987, the beginning of the period where firms increasingly saw value in outsourcing their manufacturing capabilities to Asia. Soon, TSMC became one of the world's most profitable chip makers. Chang left ITRI in 1994 and became Chairman of Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation from 1994 to 2003 while continuing to serve as chairman of TSMC. In 2005, he handed TSMC's CEO position to Rick Tsai.

As of June 2009, Chang returned to the position of TSMC's CEO once again.

Chang and his wife Sophie reside in Taiwan. His personal interests include classical music and bridge instruments.

Affiliations

Degrees

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Tekla S. Perry, Morris Chang: Foundry Father, IEEE Spectrum, http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/tech-careers/morris-chang-foundry-father
  2. ↑ Perry, supra n. 1
  3. ↑ "Morris Chang '52 Life Member Emeritus". MIT. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  4. ↑ Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award Nomination Form
  5. ↑ "IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ Nikkei Asia Prize, List of Winners
  7. ↑ "Morris Chang". Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  8. ↑ "IEEE Medal of Honor Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
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