ECCT PREMIUM EVENT
Lunch with Morris Chang 台積電 張忠謀董事長
TSMC after 30 years: Vision for the future of technology

Guest of honour
Dr Morris Chang, Chairman, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)

12:00 – 14:00, Thursday, 14 June 2018
Mandarin Oriental Hotel,B2,Ballroom I/ 台北東方文華酒店 B2,大宴會廳壹
158 Dunhua North Road, Taipei 10548, Taiwan / 10548 台灣台北市松山區敦化北路158號

The global technology industry is in a state of flux and the global trading system is under threat. Competition and M&A activity is shrinking the number of existing players while new players in mobile technologies and artificial intelligence are disrupting traditional industries and business models. Meanwhile, the global trading system is facing threats from growing protectionism. US President Donald Trump has called the WTO a "catastrophe" and appears to be provoking a trade war with China by threatening to impose US$50 billion worth of tariffs on 1,333 Chinese products in the high-tech and industrial sectors where China wants to be a world leader by 2025 on the grounds that China is stealing US intellectual property rights. China has responded in kind by announcing 25% tariffs on 106 American products worth US$50 billion, including agricultural products, chemicals and aircraft. While negotiations are still possible, if the war of rhetoric turns into an actual trade war, it could have devastating consequences, not just for the world's two largest economies but for companies with operations in China and countries that depend on trade and the rule-based system of the WTO.

In the rapidly-evolving technology space, it is not certain which players will ultimately be successful. What is clear is that the demand for semiconductors, which are integral to all manner of devices and equipment ranging from mobile phones to autonomous vehicles, will continue to grow as the world demands more connectivity, faster speeds and more data capacity. The future of 5G, robotics, autonomous and connected vehicles, cloud computing, big data processing, gaming, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, all depend on ever-smaller, faster and more energy-efficient microchips. At the moment, TSMC is ahead in the semiconductor arms race to make microchips ever-smaller, faster and energy-efficient but can it retain this lead? How will upheaval in the global tech world and trading system affect Taiwanese companies like TSMC? Will the company continue to expand operations outside of Taiwan? Is it considering M&A or is TSMC itself a takeover target?

The theme of the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World", reflected concern about a number of fractures in global politics, economics and society. While the benefits of cheaper, faster and more efficient technology are generally welcomed, there is rising concern globally about the consequences of the disruptions caused by new technologies and business models that are leading to job losses and rising income inequality. While the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are celebrated, AI is also seen as a double-edged sword, given how power and profits are increasingly being concentrated among a handful of companies which have successfully harvested and monetized data. In addition, as the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica case has shown, data and powerful algorithms can sometimes be used for nefarious purposes by bad actors to spread fake news. How will these concerns be addressed?

When Morris Chang speaks, the tech world listens. In his address at this Premium Event lunch he will reflect on the success over the company's 30-year history and offer his vision for the future. Among other subjects he will talk about how TSMC is dealing with the many challenges to stay ahead of its competitors and maintain its technological lead. He will also touch on TSMC's future development plans and its place in the global technology world, the role the industry will play in addressing the challenges posed by socio-economic disruptions.

About TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is the world's largest dedicated independent (pure-play) semiconductor foundry, with its headquarters and main operations located in the Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park. TSMC recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The company was founded just months before the ECCT with the backing of Philips, which was its major investor and joint venture partner. TSMC, under the leadership of its founder, Morris Chang, pioneered the semiconductor foundry business model that spurred the development of the semiconductor industry and an entire supporting technology eco-system in Taiwan. In retrospect, it is clear that the technology industry with TSMC at its core has been the primary driver of Taiwan's industrial modernisation, leading to sustained economic growth and enabling social progress. TSMC maintains European connections today through close ties to European equipment and materials suppliers, a uniquely symbiotic relationship that has fostered constant innovation and technological advances in the semiconductor industry. This has directly created thousands of jobs in both Europe and Taiwan.

About the speaker
Morris Chang is known as the godfather of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. It is difficult to imagine the development of Taiwan's technology industry without the vision, tenacity and diligence of Morris Chang. He began his career in Sylvania Semiconductor in the United States before moving to Texas Instruments, where he worked for 25 years from 1958-1983, rising through the ranks to become the group vice president responsible for TI's worldwide semiconductor business. He left TI to become president and chief operating officer of General Instrument Corporation in 1984. After he left General Instrument Corporation, the government of Republic of China recruited him to become president of the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan (ITRI) in 1985 and became its Chairman in 1988. While at ITRI Dr Chang founded TSMC in 1987 and served as its Chairman until his retirement on 5 June 2018. He holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University in the United States.

NT$1,600 for members; NT$2,200 for members' guest(s)

To Cancel without penalty, written cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the event.
Contact: Fiona Lee / Tel 2740-0236 ext. 215 / fiona.lee@ecct.com.tw / www.ecct.com.tw