TSMC (Remastered)

1974 snips

Jan 21, 2025

Explore the incredible history of TSMC, a semiconductor giant founded by Morris Chang, and its essential role in today’s tech landscape. Discover the unexpected rise of TSMC amid global chip shortages and the industry's early challenges, from vacuum tubes to silicon. Delve into the strategic partnerships with tech titans like Apple and the groundbreaking innovations like extreme ultraviolet lithography. The episode highlights TSMC's transformative impact, impressive growth statistics, and the dramatic evolution of the semiconductor ecosystem.

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ANECDOTE

Morris Chang's Early Life

Morris Chang fled China multiple times in his youth due to wars.
This included the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, and the Chinese Civil War before age 18.

ANECDOTE

Chang's Self-Education

Morris Chang transferred from Harvard to MIT to study engineering and supported himself by working.
He learned electrical engineering by studying Shockley's textbook and questioning a senior engineer at the hotel bar.

ANECDOTE

Chang Joins Sylvania

Chang chose Sylvania Semiconductor over Ford for a $1 higher monthly salary.
Sylvania was also where Don Valentine started his semiconductor career around the same time.

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7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy

The Foundations of Business Strategy

Hamilton Helmer

In '7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy,' Hamilton Helmer introduces a practical theory of strategy rooted in the concept of 'Power,' which are conditions that create the potential for persistent differential returns. The book outlines seven powers: Scale Economies, Network Economies, Counter-Positioning, Switching Costs, Branding, Cornered Resources, and Process Power. Each power provides a benefit to its owner and a barrier to competitors. Helmer uses real-world examples and a framework called the Power Progression to guide businesses through different phases of growth, emphasizing the importance of strategy in achieving and sustaining competitive advantages.

Who is Michael Ovitz?

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William Shockley

Published in 1950, this book by William Shockley became a classic in the field of semiconductor physics and transistor electronics. It was the first comprehensive textbook on the subject and played a crucial role in educating scientists and engineers about the new field of semiconductors. The book covers detailed theories and applications of semiconductors, including the junction transistor concept, and was widely used in electrical engineering and solid state physics classes. Shockley's work in this book contributed significantly to his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956, shared with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain for their research on semiconductors and the transistor effect.