In Asia’s Silicon Valley

Journey to Hsinchu, the Taiwanese city where, fifty years ago, the future world capital of semiconductors was born

ASIA | TAIWAN | ECONOMY | SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A 2006 GeForce 8800, the world’s first revolutionary graphics processing unit (GPU), on display at the museum of TSMC, which has premises at the Hsinchu Science Park is. The TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – is the world’s largest producer of semiconductors.

In 1980, after returning from a trip to California, a group of visionary scientists founded a science park on a hill in Hsinchu. The idea was ambitious and embraced by Taipei’s government: to create the first Asian Silicon Valley. The goal was to concentrate universities, research, and industry in one place, and to lure back engineers working abroad. To ease the shock of returning, houses were even built in full Western style. Half a century later, the science park still exists and has grown into a city within the city: in an area of 14 square kilometers, 565 companies employ 165,000 people, generating thirty percent of Taiwan’s total exports.

The success was global. Today Taiwan is the world capital of semiconductors, and Hsinchu is home to the industry’s leading company, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). Semiconductors are the materials at the core of microchips, which in turn are embedded in every aspect of our lives: from smartphones to AI, from cars to video games, from medicine to defense systems. Each year, global demand for microchips increases by 10 percent, and two-thirds of production is concentrated in Taiwan.

Taiwan has always had a vocation: sensing the future and investing in that direction, without creating flashy logos or consumer brands, keeping a low profile and working “for others.” In doing so, the island has carved out a decisive role in today’s world, becoming a bottleneck that no one can bypass — not even superpowers. “Semiconductors power everything, they are the backbone of the 21st-century economy,” declared U.S. President Donald Trump, who in 2025 persuaded TSMC to invest $100 billion in the United States. It was a further step in the U.S.–China confrontation — a clash that, between protectionist laws, industrial espionage, and talent recruitment, necessarily runs through Taiwan.

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Hsinchu (Taiwan). A receptionist at the entrance to the TSMC museum, located in the Hsinchu Science Park. TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – is the world's leading manufacturer of semiconductors.

Taipei (Taiwan). At the Taipei Astronomical Museum a family prepare for the Cosmic Adventure exhibit: a journey through the solar system in the 25th century, by which time space tourism will probably have become a reality.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), the Baoshan II reservoir, a water reserve outside the city, visible in the distance. Semiconductor manufacturers in Hsinchu (especially TSMC) have a high demand for water and also use water from surrounding reservoirs, although severe droughts in recent years have raised questions about water supply.

Taipei (Taiwan). Youngsters at work on Intel’s stand at Reset the World, a huge electronics and gaming fair held at Expo Dome.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), houses built in the 1970s near the entrance to Hsinchu Science Park. These European-style houses were built to attract students studying in Europe and the US to Taiwan, offering them accommodation reminiscent of the European and American lifestyle and architecture.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Yuji Taira, aged 35, in the room at the campus accommodation that he shares with another student. Yuju is from Okinawa in Japan and came to study Chinese at the National Tsing Hua University.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A student walks by the student accommodation at the National Tsing Hua University. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Researcher Liu Tze An at work at the THz (terahertz) measurement application lab of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which has premises in Hsinchu Science Park. Founded in 1973, ITRI is one of the world’s leading research centre for applied high-tech.

Taipei (Taiwan). Students at the National Taiwan University work in the Intelligent Machinery and Mechatronic Control Lab.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), the building named after Morris Chang, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), in the heart of Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan's “Silicon Valley.”

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Just married, Ian Jiang and Teresa Tung have their photo taken outside the municipal offices. Ian works for CCP, a company with premises in the Hsinchu Science Park where it produces probes, connectors and network cables for the high-tech world.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), on display at the Military Community Museum is a commemorative plate with a photo of Chiang Ching-kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek and himself a president between 1978 and 1988.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), guided tour of the TSMC museum, located in the Hsinchu Science Park. TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, is the world's largest semiconductor company.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), aerial view of Hsinchu Science Park, a large area of the city east of the historic center known as Taiwan's “Silicon Valley.”

Taipei (Taiwan). Taiwan’s National Scientific Centre hosts a talk on science.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), students from Kuang-Fu High School play basketball next to the campus of National Tsing Hua University. One of the most prestigious universities in the country, NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize winners.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A woman tries out a VR headset on a guided tour of the museum of TSMC, which has premises in Hsinchu Science Park. TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – is the world’s largest manufacture of semiconductors.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Workers at an electronics company take a break at the City Cafe in the heart of Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan’s "Silicon Valley".

Taipei (Taiwan). Circuit boards with microprocessors by the Taiwanese company ESMT (Elite Semiconductor Microelectronics Technology) on display at the Taitronics electronics fair.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Employees from the Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) play a game of basketball during their lunch break. WNC is a company specialized in software, hardware and mechanical design and has premises in the Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan’s "Silicon Valley".

Taipei (Taiwan), hostesses and a guide at the Taitronics electronics fair.

Taipei (Taiwan). Students of professor Hung-Wei (Homer) Yen work in the Microstructural Design Lab at the National Taiwan University.

Taipei (Taiwan). A girl tries out a VR headset at Reset the World, a huge electronics and gaming fair held at Expo Dome.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). The entrance to the Physics department at the National Tsing Hua University. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Scott Huang, associate researcher at the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau, poses for a photograph. Inspired by California’s Silicon Valley and opened in 1980, the Science Park is home to hundreds of semiconductor, computer and telecommunications firms.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). The Satellite Operations Control Center at the National Space Organization (NSPO) that controls the activities of various Taiwanese Formosat satellites. The NSPO has premises at the Hsinchu Science Park.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), National Tsing Hua University. Students in a classroom before a lesson at the College of Science. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Henry Lee, aged 18, studies Economics at the National Tsing Hua University. Here he is pictured in a common room at the student accommodation on campus.

Taipei (Taiwan). Students interact with a robot nurse at the Taitronics electronics fair.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Steven Chen, an employee of Applied Materials, plays tennis after work near his office. Applied Materials, which has premises in Hsinchu Science Park, is a leader in engineering solutions for materials used to produce new chips.

Taipei (Taiwan). Exhibitors take a lunch break at the Taitronics electronics fair.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), a man walks across a suspension bridge over the Baoshan reservoir outside the city.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Brandon Chen, originally from Taoyuan, is involved in developing new technologies at Aspeed Technology, but in his lunch break on Wednesdays he does Zumba at the Hsinchu Science Park Hub. Aspeed Technology designs, produces and sells electronic chips and has premises at the park.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Tom Hung works for INX and lives with his wife and children (Brandon and Clear) in one of the houses built in the 1970s near the entrance to Hsinchu Science Park. These European-style houses were built to attract students who had studied in Europe and the United States, offering them homes that resembled the lifestyle and architecture they had experienced abroad.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). The offices of Weltrend, the leading company in the design of semiconductors. Weltrend has premises in Hsinchu Science Park, a vast portion of the city to the east of the historic centre known as Taiwan’s "Silicon Valley".

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A student accommodation building at the National Tsing Hua University. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Visitors to the TSMC museum, located in the Hsinchu Science Park, observe how work is carried out within the company. TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – is the world's leading manufacturer of semiconductors.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Hsu Wei Cheng, aged 19, from Taoyuan, studies Materials Science at the National Tsing Hua University. He also loves music and often records his own songs in his room. His favourite singer is Ed Sheeran.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A model of a dinosaur fossil dominates the entrance to Elan Microelectronics at the Hsinchu Science Park. Elan is a leader in the sector of human-machine interfaces and produces touchpads, touchscreens and biometric sensors.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), view of the buildings in the nearby Zhubei area, where many employees of semiconductor companies in the nearby Hsinchu Science Park have found homes. Zhubei is also home to the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park and the Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park.

Taipei (Taiwan). Electronic circuit boards with microprocessors are collected at the premises of UWin Nanotech in order to extract the gold they contain. The company has developed an innovative and clean system to extract gold from telephones, computers and other electronic devices.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Tourists take photos in front of the TSMC museum, located in the Hsinchu Science Park. TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – is the world's leading manufacturer of semiconductors.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Young Huang, aged 22, from Taipei, waits nervously for his interview to join the National Tsing Hua University’s College of Technology Management that combines business and company management with scientific and engineering skills.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Actors from a theatre company prepare to perform a show in a city square. Although Hsinchu is a world centre of technology, it still retains strong links with its traditions and historical roots.

Taipei (Taiwan), Leo Chang, vice president of UWin Nanotech (left), working alongside a colleague. UWin has developed an innovative and clean system for extracting gold from cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Students have lunch at the entrance to the College of Science at the National Tsing Hua University. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Taipei (Taiwan). A visitor to the Taitronics electronics fair.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Winnie Yen, aged 18, from Hsinchu, sits at her desk in the student accommodation room she shares with Irene Chung, aged 18, originally from Taipei. Both are students of Systems Engineering at the National Tsing Hua University. “Taipei is too chaotic,” explains Irene, “and I chose Hsinchu because it provides the right environment for studying.”

Taipei (Taiwan). The Hi-Tech Promotion Center, which helps technology businesses with planning, has premises in the district of Xinzhuang.

Hsinchu (Taiwan), a woman sings karaoke at the Red Rose nightclub.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). Physics students Chen-Chuan Chuang, aged 24 (left) and Chen Yang Hong, aged 24, perform calculations in a classroom at the Physics department of the National Tsing Hua University. One of the country’s most prestigious universities, the NTHU is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize laureates.

Taipei (Taiwan). A videogame competition at Reset the World, a huge electronics and gaming fair held at Expo Dome.

Taipei (Taiwan). A work of art inspired by electronics and semiconductors on display not far from the Huashan 1914 Creative Park.

Hsinchu (Taiwan). A woman at work at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which has premises at the Hsinchu Science Park. Founded in 1973, the ITRI is one of the world’s most important centres of high-tech applied research.

Taipei (Taiwan). Jill Chen, vice president of MyGo, sits on a sofa in the middle of a large open-plan office. MyGo is a company that uses big data and artificial intelligence in the Taiwanese real estate market.

Taipei (Taiwan). Vendors and clients from the semiconductors sector have lunch in a room at the Taitronics electronics fair.