Semiconductor Father Morris Chang Delivers a Speech at NTU, Reveals Two Major Life Decisions, and Emphasizes "Computation" as the Driver of the Future
Semiconductor Father Morris Chang Delivers a Speech at NTU, Reveals Two Major Life Decisions, and Emphasizes "Computation" as the Driver of the Future
December 16, 2024
Reporter: Lin Yuru, Comprehensive Report
Yesterday (16th), National Taiwan University (NTU) held the “Yeh-Lin Lecture” at the Chien Szu-Liang Memorial Hall on the 2nd floor of the General Teaching Building. TSMC Founder Morris Chang was invited to deliver a speech titled “Lessons from a Career in Semiconductors,” attracting over 500 enthusiastic faculty members and students.
In the lecture, Morris Chang shared two critical decisions in his life. The first decision occurred in 1955 when he failed the qualifying exam for his Ph.D. at MIT. Despite having the opportunity to transfer to another university to continue his doctoral studies, he chose to enter the workforce, embarking on a different path.
Related Reading: Morris Chang Responds to Challenges from Tech Giants: Intel Faces Strategic Dilemmas, Samsung Confronts Technical Tests
The second significant decision involved choosing his career path. As a mechanical engineering graduate, he was torn between joining an automotive company or a semiconductor company. In the end, he chose the semiconductor company Sylvania.
Morris Chang explained that back then, the automotive industry had close ties with the mechanical field. The automotive company had already offered him a position with a salary of $479 per month, while the semiconductor company Sylvania offered $480—just one dollar more.
“I didn’t care about that single dollar,” Chang said. “But I thought, since they liked me so much during the interview, maybe I could ask for $10 or $20 more. So I called them, but they rudely replied that they never adjusted salaries—take it or leave it. I was in my twenties, full of youthful pride, and thought they were impolite. So I decided to join the semiconductor industry instead.”
Chang emphasized that these decisions shaped his career in semiconductors and gave him a deep understanding of the importance of choices. He specifically encouraged young students to focus on the field of computation, which he said has become the core demand across industries, including biotechnology, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI). All these areas rely heavily on computational power.
He mentioned that MIT has established a dedicated school for computation, illustrating that computation has become an independent and expansive field of modern science and technology. He encouraged students to explore this field deeply to unlock greater future possibilities.
Finally, Chang addressed the theme of “Lessons.” He noted that the term stemmed from his speech at MIT a year ago, which also focused on “Lessons” and had an audience composed of half industry professionals and half alumni. Yesterday’s audience consisted mainly of students. Facing a student group this time, he hoped to inspire and encourage them through his experiences.
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