Founder of TSMC, Morris Chang, recently granted an interview to Acquired, marking the first extensive discussion in 17 years. The conversation touched on the relationship with NVIDIA, who selected TSMC to manufacture their first graphics cards and collaborated on developing 40-nanometer production technology at the time, as well as the conflict in 2009.
The highlight of the interview was the Apple vs. Intel saga. Chang revealed that in February 2011, Apple temporarily suspended talks with TSMC regarding new chip production as Intel barged in with CEO Tim Cook negotiating for iPhones to switch to Intel chips, which Macs were already using.
Just two months into negotiations, Cook decided to stick with TSMC for future iPhone chips. During a meeting at Apple’s headquarters in March 2011, Cook recounted to Chang that Intel simply didn’t grasp the foundry concept of producing chips for clients.
Chang admitted feeling unfazed by Cook’s revelation, confident in TSMC’s superiority in manufacturing capability and customer responsiveness. He pointed out that Intel wasn’t well-liked among Taiwanese customers, as they tended to act as a lone CPU manufacturer in the market.
TSMC’s success, Chang explained, stemmed from attentively meeting customer demands down to the smallest detail. While some requests may seem excessive or illogical, TSMC strives to accommodate them, a practice Intel never embraced.
Acquired emphasized the rarity of this interview as it marked the latest English-language discussion by Morris Chang’s team, conducted by NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang, known for facilitating the conversation.
TLDR: Morris Chang’s interview sheds light on TSMC’s customer-focused approach, contrasting it with Intel’s market behavior, and highlights the unique cooperation between TSMC, NVIDIA, Apple, and Intel.
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