Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) became the first laureate of the "K. T. Li Award" for his work in advancing Taiwan's technology industry during an award ceremony on Thursday, at which Nvidia president Jensen Huang also made a surprise appearance.
The award, set up this year by the K. T. Li Foundation for Development of Science and Technology, chose Morris Chang to be the first awardee for his "great contribution to Taiwan's economy and technology industry," Paul Wang (王伯元), chairman of Internet communications device supplier Sercomm Corp and the chairman of the foundation, said.
The foundation was set up in 1991 in memory of Li Kwoh-ting (李國鼎), a former Taiwanese bureaucrat who was widely acclaimed as a major contributor to Taiwan's economic and technological transformations.
Li also invited Morris Chang back to Taiwan and supported the government's investment in the establishment of TSMC.
"There would be no TSMC if not for Li Kwoh-ting," Chang said in a video that was played at the ceremony.
While receiving the award, Chang said that it was Li who "led him to Taiwan," describing in detail how Li approached him when he was still working for Texas Instruments in the United States in the late 1970s and eventually convinced him to come to Taiwan in the 1980s.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose appearance had not been made public beforehand, made an emotional speech dedicated to the TSMC founder, calling Chang a "founder, start-up entrepreneur, builder of one of the world's great companies, industry creator, one of the most consequential business leaders in history, once-in-a-generation icon," as well as describing him as a dear friend.
"No company today or in history has ever had the reach and impact of TSMC," he said, noting that TSMC performs three miracles at once.
"TSMC makes custom chips for thousands of customers, not one the same; TSMC manufactures chips of extraordinarily high volume or extraordinary low volume, at the same time; TSMC innovates new technology at the limit of physics, at an incredible pace," the Nvidia CEO said, adding that the company is a marvel of engineering, manufacturing, and operations.
"But its superpower is integrity," he stressed, describing it as "A corporate culture infused with Morris's character" that centers on trust.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), also at the ceremony, lauded the TSMC founder's contribution to Taiwan's high-tech industry and economic development, and thanked him for representing the country at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) numerous times and promoting Taiwan's role on the world stage.
Tsai said Li and Chang each represent "an important page of Taiwan's economic history."
Chang has been named again by the president as Taiwan's representative to attend the 2023 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) that will be held in San Francisco from November 15 to 17.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) and Chairman Mark Liu (劉德音), Hon Hai founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), and former secretary-general of the Presidential Office David Lee (李大維) also attended the ceremony.
The award review committee included Wang, Siew, former president of National Taiwan University Sun Chen (孫震), former minister of economic affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光), former Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) president Shih Chin-tay (史欽泰), and Taiwan Women on Boards Association chairwoman Jaclyn Tsai (蔡玉玲).
