No shortcut to excellence in chips: TSMC executive

There are “no shortcuts” to excellence in chipmaking, said Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛), a top executive at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), as he received one of Taiwan’s most prestigious industrial technology honors yesterday.

Chyn, TSMC’s executive vice president and co-chief operating officer, made the remarks during a ceremony in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong Township (竹東) at which he was inducted as an Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工業技術研究院) laureate.

“For nearly 40 years, I have always believed there are no shortcuts to excellence in semiconductor manufacturing, and technology research and development,” Chyn said.

President William Lai, left, presents Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executive vice president and co-chief operating officer Y.P. Chyn with an Industrial Technology Research Institute laureate certificate at a ceremony in Hsinchu County’s Zhudong Township yesterday.

Photo: Lin Yi-ju, Taipei Times

He said he had worked with TSMC’s operations teams to overcome “countless technical bottlenecks” and turn advanced manufacturing technologies into mass-production capabilities that helped drive global technological innovation.

Chyn recounted his journey, saying that he joined the ITRI’s Electronics Research and Service Organization after graduating from National Cheng Kung University in 1982, and that the four-and-a-half years he spent there “laid the foundation for my semiconductor career.”

He later joined the newly established TSMC in 1987 as one of its early employees.

Looking back on the development of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, Chyn called it a “Taiwan miracle” and said the government-backed ITRI had played a critical role at a pivotal time.

He said the ITRI’s efforts to cultivate talent and transfer personnel “laid the talent foundation” for TSMC when the chipmaker was established, helping pave the way for the company’s success and Taiwan’s rise as a global semiconductor powerhouse.

Chyn also thanked TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) for creating the foundry business model, which he described as “a business model that changed the world.”

He also thanked TSMC chairman and CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家), former chairman Mark Liu (劉德音), his colleagues and his family.

President William Lai (賴清德), who presented Chyn with his laureate certificate, said Chyn had led teams in achieving yield breakthroughs in processes ranging from 28 nanometers to 2 nanometers, helping cement TSMC’s leadership in advanced manufacturing.

Chyn’s contributions have also helped Taiwan “remain at the core of the global supply chain in the era of AI and high-performance computing,” Lai added.