Morris Chang, in conversation with Jen-Hsun Huang

TSMC founder Morris Chang and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discuss the history of the semiconductor industry and the creation of the dedicated foundry model.

[Recorded Oct 17, 2007] A rare and fascinating conversation with one of the most innovative semiconductor pioneers and esteemed business leaders of our time. Born in Ningbo (Zhejiang province), China, in 1931, Dr. Morris Chang is the founding chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (TSMC), a revolutionary enterprise he founded in 1987. TSMC is a dedicated silicon foundry, an independent factory available to anyone for producing integrated circuits. Using this approach, both entrepreneurs and established semiconductor companies could avoid having to build their own semiconductor factories and focus instead on circuit features and system-level product design as the source of value. From 1958 to 1983, Chang worked at Texas Instruments (TI), rising to group vice president for its worldwide semiconductor business. Under Chang's leadership, TI emerged as the world's leading producer of integrated circuits. During his tenure the company also pioneered high-volume production of consumer products including calculators, digital watches, and the popular "Speak & Spell" electronic toy. In 1983, Chang left TI to become president and chief operating officer at General Instrument Corporation. After a year at General Instrument, Chang was recruited by the Taiwanese government to spearhead that country's industrial research organization, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). While there, he focused on issues relating to using technology to advance Taiwan's larger social and economic goals. It was in this capacity that Chang founded TSMC. In 1998, Chang was named by Business Week magazine as one of the Top 25 Managers of the Year and one of the Stars of Asia. In 2000, he received the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Award for exceptional contributions to the microelectronics industry. In 2005, he won the Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth. On October 16, 2007, Chang will be inducted as a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. Chang is a Life Member Emeritus of MIT Corporation, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and serves on the advisory boards of the New York Stock Exchange, Stanford University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Chang holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. (1952, 1953), and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University (1964). He also holds honorary doctorates from seven universities. This talk was with Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder, president and CEO of NVIDIA Corporation. Catalog Number: 102702700 Lot Number: X4614.2008