The Chip Wave
The Chip Wave tells the riveting story of how Taiwan transformed from a labor-reliant economy to a global semiconductor powerhouse, anchored by the meteoric rise of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Starting in the 1970s, visionary policymakers like Sun Yun-suan and K.T. Li laid the groundwork with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Hsinchu Science Park, while a fateful 1974 breakfast meeting sparked Taiwan’s push into integrated circuits. United Microelectronics (UMC) blazed an early trail with bold market bets, but it was Morris Chang’s revolutionary pure-play foundry model—focused solely on manufacturing, not designing chips—that turned TSMC into an industry titan. The book chronicles TSMC’s fierce battles with Samsung, Intel, and domestic rivals, its breakthroughs in FinFET transistors, EUV lithography, and advanced packaging, and its critical role stabilizing global supply chains during the 2020 chip shortage. It also unpacks how Taiwan’s unique mix of government support, technical talent, and entrepreneurial grit built a supply chain that powers nearly every digital device on Earth.