In context: Nvidia recently became the world's most valuable company, while TSMC has become one of the most geopolitically important firms in recent years. The leaders of the two tech giants have long known each other, and an upcoming autobiography from TSMC's founder will reveal more about the depth of their relationship.
As Taiwan's tech world anticipates the release of TSMC founder Morris Chang's new autobiography in late November, an early excerpt has revealed intriguing details about the company's relationship with chipmaker Nvidia.
During a transition period for TSMC in 2013, Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang was a candidate to replace Chang, then 82, as CEO. However, the job was eventually split between Mark Liu and C.C. Wei, allowing Chang to serve as Chairman full-time.
In #TSMC founder Morris Chang's forthcoming autobiography, he reveals that in 2013 he asked #Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang if he would be interested in the position of TSMC CEO. pic.twitter.com/LOhC9zo26W
– Wen-Yee Lee æÂÂçÂÂå (@Wenyee_Lee) November 6, 2024
The revelations come from an overview of the new book shared by Wen-Yee Lee of Taiwan-based Business Weekly Magazine. Set for release on November 29, it is actually the second volume of Chang's autobiography.
Released in 1998, the first volume focused on Chang's early life in China through his career at Texas Instruments, stopping in 1964. The sequel, reportedly roughly double the first book's 243 pages, will cover TSMC's 1987 founding and Chang's career managing the chipmaking giant from the 90s through the 2010s.
Huang (center) and Chang (right) during Computex 2024 in July
Chang initially stepped down as CEO in 2005, handing the position to Rick Tsai and transitioning to a job as chairman before the 2008 financial crisis forced Chang back into his old job in 2009. Before instituting the dual CEO system in 2013, he offered leadership to the head of Nvidia, but Jensen Huang turned down the offer.
That year, the GPU manufacturer released the GeForce GTX 700 series of graphics cards, codenamed Kepler. Additionally, 2013 saw the debut of the Nvidia Shield handheld gaming device, which introduced the chip architecture that now powers the immensely popular Nintendo Switch.
Nvidia's investment in AI and machine learning has turned its GPUs into the main engine powering the ongoing generative AI trend, consuming the tech industry and growing the company's net worth by more than an order of magnitude. Meanwhile, many important tech companies, including Apple, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, build their products using TSMC's highly sought-after semiconductors.
There are currently no plans for an English-language release of Chang's autobiography.
Jensen Huang was offered TSMC's CEO position in 2013, upcoming biography reveals
