Apple Supplier Foxconn Hires Former TSMC Executive
Apple’s biggest supplier and iPhone assembler Foxconn said on Tuesday it has hired Chiang Shang-yi, a former chief executive of Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC and Chinese chipmaker SMIC, to lead its growth in the chip business.
Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, is best known for assembling iPhones and other Apple products, although in recent years it has been expanding into chips to diversify its business.
It bought a chip plant from Taiwan chipmaker Macronix International last year and in September announced a partnership with India’s Vedanta to set up semiconductor and display manufacturing plants there.
Foxconn said in a statement that Chiang has been appointed as its chief semiconductor officer, a newly created role.
The company said his deep industry experience will provide “significant support” and technical guidance for the group’s global semiconductor deployment strategy.
“We are grateful to have a seasoned semiconductor veteran join us at this important time in the group’s development,” added Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way in a statement.
Chiang previously served as vice president of research and development at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the world’s largest contract manufacturer.
Most recently he was the vice chairman of Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC), the largest and most advanced chipmaker in China.
Chiang resigned from his position at SMIC last November, almost a year after joining the company for the second time.
His move to China was controversial as Taiwan worried about losing chip talent to its big neighbor, which has struggled to revive the island’s success in semiconductor manufacturing.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
