In 1976, the Taiwanese government made a fateful decision that transformed the future of technology around the world. This came when it sent a team of young Taiwanese engineers to RCA Corporation’s research and development centre in America to learn more about semiconductors. That set the stage for Taiwan’s stunning rise to become the world leader in semiconductors—one of the great industrial triumphs of the past 50 years.
The small East Asian island nation now produces more than 60 percent of the world supply and more than 90 percent of the most advanced chips, according to Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada research scholar Karen Hui. And the tale of how this occurred is told in a captivating new feature-length documentary. Vancouver TAIWANfest will present A Chip Odyssey (造山者-世紀的賭注) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 29) at the Annex (823 Seymour Street) in downtown Vancouver.
The film’s director, Hsiao Chu-chen, was inspired to document this history after hearing stories about Taiwanese high-tech pioneer Hu Ding-Hwa at his memorial service in 2019.
“I was deeply moved,” Hsiao told Focus Taiwan last summer. “That’s where I first heard how the trailblazers of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry brought back the seeds of chipmaking. What struck me was realizing how profoundly this shaped Taiwan—to the point that it has made the world pay attention to us today.”
NVIDIA CEO appears in A Chip Odyssey
The documentary took five years to complete and includes more than 80 interviews. The director spoke with those early engineers, as well as to factory workers, academics, and business leaders. Each offers fascinating insights into how a previously poor nation emerged as a wealthy, high-tech powerhouse.
Hu, the first general director of the Electronics Research and Services Organization, drew up the first proposal in 1985 about TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) for the Legislative Yuan and then premier Yu Kuo-hwa. That led to the creation of the world’s first dedicated semiconductor foundry two years later. Later, Hu founded Macronix International Co. Ltd.
A Chip Odyssey even includes an appearance by Jensen Huang, the American co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, which is the world’s most valuable corporation. Born in Taipei and raised in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, Huang offers a glowing tribute to Morris Chang, the Chinese-born and U.S.-educated founder of TSMC.
“TSMC makes chips for every industry today. No company today or in history has ever had the reach and impact of TSMC,” Huang declares from the podium as Chang sits alongside then Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen in the audience.
“Elephants can dance,” the NVIDIA CEO continues. “Morris raised one that jumps through hoops. And without TSMC, the entire world’s technology industries today would not be possible.”
Taiwan comes roaring back
To fully appreciate TSMC’s success, Hsiao offers important historical insights. In the 1970s, Taiwan suffered one humiliation after another. Also known as the Republic of China, it was kicked out of the United Nations to make room for the People’s Republic of China, which insisted that there was only one China.
Meanwhile, the first Arab oil embargo in 1973 triggered a 61 percent inflation rate by the following spring, causing widespread hardship. Another humiliation occurred when Taiwanese athletes could not compete in the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal under their own flag.
“This incident shocked Taiwan and sent the RCA team’s motivations into overdrive,” one of the engineers says in the film.
On January 1,1979, the U.S. cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
As a result, Taiwanese engineers redoubled their efforts to help their country succeed. Failure was simply not an option in this patriotic enterprise to save the nation.
A Chip Odyssey brilliantly captures the tenor of the times, as well as the magnitude of the engineers’ sacrifices. The film also highlights the role that a single visionary government leader can play in transforming a nation with its economic back against the wall.
In light of Canada’s current economic challenges with the Trump administration, A Chip Odyssey offers important lessons for this country. Even when things are at their bleakest, it’s still possible to turn a country around as long as there is plenty of brainpower and a collective will to succeed.
Watch the trailer (above) for A Chip Odyssey.
Vancouver TAIWANfest will present A Chip Odyssey at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 29) at the Annex (823 Seymour Street). The film is primarily in Mandarin with subtitles in English and Chinese. For tickets, visit Showpass.
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