The second volume of TSMC founder Morris Chang's autobiography was released on November 29, with an official book launch event held on December 9. In his book, Chang elaborates on the long-standing competitive relationship between TSMC and Intel.
Regarding the recent challenges faced by Intel, Chang stated for the first time that he has always considered Intel a friend, both personally and professionally. He recalled that when he was about 30 years old, he often attended several days of technical meetings with Intel co-founders Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, who were around his age. They would enjoy beers, dinners, and singing together afterward.
He mentioned that he had been friends with several Intel CEOs over the years. Although the most recent one seemed to adopt a somewhat adversarial stance towards TSMC, he is now no longer in that position.
When asked if he had been consulted by Intel during this transition, Chang replied that they had not, and nor did he want them to, as he did not know the answer. He acknowledged that Intel needs to find either a new strategy or a new CEO, seemingly both at once.
However, without a new strategy or a new CEO, it becomes quite challenging. This situation mirrors that of four years ago when the previous CEO left, and the board lacked clarity on future strategies. At that time, the choice of successor depended on who could articulate their vision well. Pat Gelsinger was very eloquent, so they adopted his strategy, which Chang deemed unfortunate.
Chang speculated that perhaps Intel does have a strategy now but has not communicated it. If the board already has a plan but is not sharing it while searching for someone to execute it, then the problem becomes simpler.
Chang commented that he did not know whether Pat Gelsinger was "made to leave" or if he had issues with strategy or execution, which is currently a difficult puzzle for Intel.
Chang remarked that Gelsinger's initial strategy seemed focused on becoming a foundry, although he also mentioned AI. However, it appeared that more emphasis was placed on foundry services, and now there seems to be a shift back toward AI.
In his autobiography, Chang pointed out that after 2010, Intel expressed interest in entering the foundry business. Yet, due to its IDM culture, it struggled to succeed in that area. After appointing a new CEO in early 2021, Intel aimed to pursue foundry operations while simultaneously increasing orders for TSMC.
To this company that is both a customer and competitor of TSMC, Chang simply wishes them good luck.
Article translated by Charlene Chen
