Fireside Chat: Technology, Trust, and the Responsibility of Innovation

Dr. Tien Wu is the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASE) and concurrently the Chief Executive Officer of Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. (USI). He is also a member of the Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer of the ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: ASX, TWSE: 3711).

Tien serves as a Vice Chairman of SEMI Board and Board Member of the Global Semiconductor Association (GSA), which are global industry associations serving the manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries.

Prior to joining ASE, Tien held several management positions within IBM including R&D, manufacturing and sales in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. He holds twelve U.S. patents and has authored over twenty-five articles. Tien holds a BSCE degree from National Taiwan University, and also earned MS and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics respectively from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2015, Tien received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from Binghamton University. In 2024, Tien was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering, for sustainable electronics manufacturing and advancements in the high-volume production of semiconductor packaging. 

Education

Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Syracuse University, USA

Experience

• Senior Vice President, Europe and Asia Sales, TSMC
• Senior Vice President, Technology Development, TSMC
• Vice President, Technology Development, TSMC
• Senior Director, Design and Technology Platform, TSMC

Biography

Dr. Cliff Hou is Senior Vice President, Deputy Co-COO and Chief Information Security Officer at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). He is also deputy of Mr. Y.P. Chyn. Prior to this post, Dr. Hou was TSMC's Vice President of Design and Technology Platform from August 2011 to July 2018 and later he served as Vice President of Technology Development in August 2018. He began his career at TSMC in 1997 and has since played a key role in the Company's design technology and ecosystem development.

From 1997 to 2007, Dr. Hou established the company's technology design kit and reference flow development organizations. Over the last decade, Dr. Hou led the development of TSMC's Open Innovation Platform® (OIP), which is now the most comprehensive design ecosystem in the global semiconductor industry.

Dr. Hou received the National Manager Excellence Award in 2010 as a pioneer in reference flows and design for manufacturing (DFM) that significantly lowers IC design barriers. He led the Company's OIP project team to win the first National Industry Innovation Award in 2011, presented by the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Prior to joining TSMC, Dr. Hou was a section manager specializing in design environment at the Computer & Communications Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI/CCL) in Taiwan. He also served as an Associate Professor at Kaohsiung Polytechnic Institute (now known as I-Shou University) in Taiwan.

Dr. Hou holds 44 U.S. Patents and serves as a member of Board of Directors in Global Unichip Corp. He received B.S. degree in Control Engineering from Taiwan's National Chiao-Tung University, and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.

Dr. Lih Shyng Tsai (Rick) currently serves as Vice Chairman & CEO of MediaTek Incorporated, a global fabless semiconductor company that enables 2 billion connected devices a year; an industry leader in innovative systems-on-chip (SoC) platforms for mobile, home, connectivity, client computing, IoT, automotive and data center. He was the 2023 winner of the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award honored by Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).

Since joining the company in 2017, Dr. Tsai has led MediaTek to record growth and established it as a global leader in many markets. Under his leadership, MediaTek has invested in advanced technologies, expanded its product portfolio, and grown its presence in Asia, North America, Europe, and Japan.

Prior to his current role at MediaTek, from 2014 to 2016, Dr. Tsai served as Chairman and CEO of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., Taiwan’s largest integrated telecom service provider. Under his leadership, Taiwan’s 4G service growth was recorded as the fastest growth among worldwide markets. During his tenure, Dr. Tsai was elected by Finance Asia as one of Taiwan’s three best CEOs in 2016.

Dr. Tsai joined TSMC in 1989 as an engineering manager and advanced through several key executive roles such as Fab Director, EVP of Operations, EVP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, President and COO, and became President and CEO of TSMC in 2005. He also served as President of Vanguard International Semiconductor, a TSMC affiliate, from 1998 to 2000, and was appointed President of New Businesses at TSMC from 2009 to 2011, whereafter Dr. Tsai concurrently served as Chairman and CEO of TSMC Solar Ltd. and TSMC Solid State Lighting Ltd. until 2014.

Prior to joining TSMC, Dr. Tsai was an IC engineering manager in Hewlett Packard between 1981 to 1989.

Dr. Tsai has served on the boards of several companies, including Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, Lam Research, NXP Semiconductors, USI Corporation, Chunghwa Telecom, TSMC and MediaTek.

Dr. Tsai received his B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University and Ph.D. degree in Material Science and Engineering from Cornell University, U.S.A.

Mr. Young Liu is Chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and leading technological solutions provider.

Appointed to his current role in 2019, Young is actively leading the Group's transformation, initiating the 3+3+3 strategy (3 major industries, 3 core technologies, and 3 smart platforms) to achieve record revenue and net profit in 2025. Under his watch, Foxconn’s corporate governance is going from strength to strength; its market capitalization has increased 1.7 times, making it Taiwan's largest company by revenue and second largest by market capitalization. Foxconn ranks 23rd in Fortune Global 500.

Young concurrently serves as Chairman of Foxsemicon Integrated Technology Inc and special advisor to SHARP Corp. He is also Chairman of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor bestowed by the Government of India; a “Digital Transformation Leader" as designated by Harvard Business Review; and honored as “"Best CEO in Asia Technology Hardware” by Extel.

Young holds an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Taiwan’s National Chiao Tung University, where he earned a BS degree in Electrophysics. He also holds an MS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California.

S.C. Chien currently serves as Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of Unimicron Technology Corp., leading the company’s strategic direction across the electronics and semiconductor supply chain.

S.C. Chien obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University and brings over 40 years of semiconductor experience. He previously served as Co-President of UMC, overseeing manufacturing, R&D, and operations. Besides, throughout his years at UMC, he led multiple functions including ATD (Advanced Technology Development), STD (Specialty Technology Development), CE (Customer Engineering), TTD (Technology Transfer and Development), IPDS (IP & Design Support), CM (Corporate Marketing).