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Taichung, Taiwan
CNN
—
Just a few years ago, the world’s largest chipmaker had a simple answer to training new employees. It’s a buddy system that pairs them with a senior engineer who is tasked with teaching them the ropes.
That all changed three years ago, when a global chip shortage and rising geopolitical tensions accelerated TSMC’s growth. To quickly get tens of thousands of new employees to work, they needed to create an intensive training program.
In 2021, TSMC established a new employee training center in a vast science park in Taichung City, central Taiwan. This facility is now key to the company’s global expansion.
In a world dominated by Moore’s Law (the idea that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years), TSMC and its customers, such as Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA), and AMD (AMD), Speed is extremely important. This is also important for U.S. President Joe Biden, as the company hopes to boost U.S. manufacturing in Arizona.
All new engineers based in Taiwan and some overseas hires are now required to spend eight weeks at the center, which CNN recently visited.
“[Now], you can teach newcomers more systematically. We can have them learn faster and build a solid foundation,” said Marcus Chen, an instructor at the center. “It is a core value of TSMC.” [that] Everything has to be done very efficiently. ”
The center is modeled after operating a manufacturing plant, called a fab, where chips are manufactured.
In one room, a rotating robotic arm presses semiconductor wafers against pads to clean and polish them, in a process known as chemical-mechanical polishing. In another example, a machine lifts packs of wafers up to the ceiling and moves them around the facility.
Engineers trained at the center will not only be deployed throughout TSMC’s factories in Taiwan. Some will be used to “seed” the facility around the world.
“Every new factory requires a certain percentage of people to come from Taiwan initially,” Lora Ho, the company’s senior vice president of human resources, told CNN. She said: “What we would like to do over the years is gradually reduce the number of secondments.” [and] Increase local hiring. ”
John Meese/CNN
A new employee training center was opened in 2021.
Also known as the world’s most important company, TSMC (officially Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is the leader in some of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips, used to power everything from smartphones to artificial intelligence applications. It produces an estimated 90%.
Faced with pressure to meet growing demand and be physically closer to customers, TSMC is building new factories in the United States, Japan and Germany. Existing factories are located in Taiwan, as well as eastern China and Washington state.
Last month, the semiconductor giant opened its first factory in the Japanese city of Kumamoto, and plans to open two $40 billion facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, in the coming years to make smaller, more advanced chips. . The company has committed to investing $3.8 billion to build its first European factory in Dresden, Germany.
The surge in demand, especially for chips that power AI, is creating a talent shortage in the semiconductor industry. TSMC announced last year that one of its factories in Arizona would be delayed due to a lack of specialized workers.
Stewart Randall, head of electronics and embedded software at consultancy Intralink, said: “Finding the best talent has always been a challenge, but it’s only been in the last few years since the world suddenly woke up and recognized the importance of semiconductors. “The challenges are getting even bigger,” he said. .
“Increase the number of fabs” [and] “Factory capacity is related not only to geopolitics but also to market demand,” he added. “This means we need more people with skills in IC (integrated circuit or semiconductor) design, IC manufacturing and materials science. Countries are competing for this talent.”
TSMC’s Mr. Ho said talent shortage is one of the main challenges facing the company.
“There is a talent shortage all over the world,” she says. “If we’re going to operate globally, we really need to expand our talent pool.”
TSMC currently has approximately 77,000 employees worldwide. Within a few years, that number will reach 100,000, Ho added.
The lack of qualified workers is not the only problem. TSMC also faces the challenge of adapting to differences in work culture between Asia and Western countries.
Engineers in Taiwan are highly paid, but the work is demanding, with long hours and weekend shifts. And if an earthquake hits the island (as it often does), technicians are expected to return to their station immediately, regardless of the time.
John Meese/CNN
New employee training centers are built to resemble factories.
Kristy Hsu, director of the Taiwan-ASEAN Research Center at the China Economic Research Institute, said that while Taiwanese employees may be used to working overtime and being on-call, other employees may not be.
“In chip manufacturing, and even testing and packaging, it’s a very labor-intensive industry, so people…have to work overtime,” she said. “Also, you must be ready to be called upon at any time.” [in]Whether it’s Chinese New Year or Christmas. ”
“The work culture is [in] “Other East Asian countries like Taiwan and Japan have continued for generations,” she added. “If you talk about this kind of work culture in the United States or Germany, it becomes even more problematic.”
Ho said that as TSMC expands globally, it is learning how to effectively manage its teams around the world differently.
“We have to adapt to local customs and become socially acceptable. There are things we can do here and things we can’t do there,” she said. “We can’t completely take over the way we operate in Taiwan.” [to other countries]. In the US, you have to adapt to the local culture. ”
“The people here [in Taiwan] Willingness to follow instructions. But I think in the U.S., we need to explain why in the language they’re comfortable with,” she added.
The semiconductor giant’s move to diversify production outside of Taiwan has unsettled some local residents, including members of Congress, who fear it will ultimately reduce Taiwan’s importance as a global semiconductor powerhouse. I am concerned that this may not be the case.
Ho dismissed those concerns.
“I don’t think that will be taken away. [Taiwan’s] “Because we are still very focused on Taiwan, and cutting-edge technology definitely starts there,” she said. “It doesn’t take away, but it expands Taiwan’s exposure and allows us to learn how to operate globally.”
— CNN’s Juliana Liu contributed reporting.
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