Taiwan

SEMI continues to establish new programs to address these four critical industry issues in Taiwan and support worldwide semiconductor industry growth and innovation.

Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer at SEMI and President of SEMI Taiwan, recently discussed technology trends with Young Liu, Chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), as a prelude to SEMICON Taiwan’s five online forums.

SEMI Taiwan and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Charity Foundation continue to work with the domestic chip industry to raise funds for donations of contactless rapid COVID-19 testing stations to hospitals.

As the fight against COVID-19 presses ahead, many healthcare workers, especially those on the front lines, are being pushed to their limits and beyond to ensure our health and safety. To help doctors and nurses combat the virus, SEMI Taiwan mobilized six leading Taiwan semiconductor companies last month to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) designed for industrial operation to medical staff. The gear included powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), half facepiece respirators, head tops, protective coveralls, and air filter canisters.On behalf of the semiconductor industry, SEMI Taiwan worked closely with industry leaders and the government to deploy the direly needed resources to support the domestic medical community. The Taiwan Association of Medical Technologists accepted the donations in the ceremony attended by Taiwan CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang. The largesse is the result of public-private partnership to provide medical supplies to 35 hospitals and medical laboratories across Taiwan. Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of SEMI Taiwan, and six Taiwan semiconductor companies stepped up to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. TSMC Charity Foundation responded with PPE giveaways in March in a first wave of protective equipment donations to medical personnel. Before long, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS), ​​​​​​​​​​​Macronix, Micron, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), and 3M Taiwan also answered the call for more medical equipment for COVID-19 frontliners. Extending the Taiwan semiconductor industry’s rich tradition of making charitable contributions in the region, including financial assistance for emergency relief efforts, the companies donated more than 1,000 pieces of PPE after balancing the giveaway with inventory needs in their fabs. Fab workers responsible for machinery, raw materials, and other goods and gear used in semiconductor manufacturing wear the protective devices. One piece of equipment, powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), features a battery-powered that sends filtered air flowing into a hood or head top covering the wearer’s head or face to protect against respiratory hazards. In healthcare, PAPRs protect medical staff as they test blood and tissue samples for traces of COVID-19. Dr. N.S. Tsai, CEO of TSMC Charity Foundation, notes that respiratory protection equipment can offer integrated protection against multiple hazards and is comfortable for medical technologists working long shifts to wear. Medical facilities across Taiwan quickly depleted PPE supplies after the rapid response to the January outbreak by healthcare providers across the region led to quick containment. The PPE donations were critical in minimizing exposure risks to medical staff. The chip industry’s protective clothing and equipment offered another benefit: Medical technologists found the gear – designed to be worn over long periods in semiconductor manufacturing facilities – comfortable as they worked marathon shifts early in the COVID-19 outbreak. “Coronavirus testing requires a much higher level of protection than is needed in many healthcare settings,” said Chuang Jen-hsiang, the Deputy Director for the Taiwanese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the spokesperson of Taiwan Central Epidemic Command Center. “Medical technologists must work in a poorly ventilated labs for more than eight hours a day, causing sweating and damp heat. The high-performance PPEs provided by the industry help healthcare workers breathe more naturally without wearing a mask while greatly reducing infection risk in hot, humid environments.”For their COVID-19 response, Taiwan’s government and well-trained medical workers drew lessons from the SARS outbreak in 2003 to quickly activate emergency management structures to fend off the emerging threat – one that put the Taiwan semiconductor industry and its round-the-clock operations at risk.“Taiwan’s swift response to the COVID-19 was vital in preserving the business continuity that is the lifeblood of the semiconductor manufacturing,” said Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of SEMI Taiwan. “We are honored to do our part to support the heroes of this fight – the medical technologists on the front lines – as an expression of our great respect and gratitude for their extraordinary work.”SEMI Taiwan has long partnered with TSMC Charity Foundation to care for people in need, drive positive environmental and social changes, and support emergency aid in Taiwan. The goal our joint corporate social responsibility efforts is to warm the hearts of our people and build a better society.Irene Huang is a public relations and marketing specialist at SEMI Taiwan.

The recent World Economic Forum event in Davos ranked the unfolding climate crisis among the top three risks companies and governments must address in order to prevent irreversible environmental damage. With the stakes that high, it is becoming critical for organizations of all sizes to take into account climate change risks and opportunities as they develop their strategic and business continuity plans.Two fundamentally different schools of thought have emerged on how to address climate change. On one side, NGOs and climate activists such as Greta Thunberg are pressuring governments to abruptly divert away from fossil fuels, a shift that experts say would exact a deep economic impact. On the other side is the camp that believes capitalism will run its course and ultimately guide public and private entities to find climate change solutions.For their part, organizations are responding to rising pressure from shareholders and stakeholders to disclose their emissions mitigation strategies. The accuracy and completeness of environmental disclosures ranges widely. Some businesses adopt a conservative approach and limit the volume of information made public, while others announce aggressive targets for reducing emissions from their operations and supply chains.Formed 18 years ago, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has motivated companies (and now cities) to disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2019, more than 525 institutional investors representing $96 trillion in assets backed the CDP, whose annual CDP questionnaire is often recognized as the most “comprehensive collection of self-reported environmental data in the world.”As the list of signatory investors supporting the CDP has grown over the years, so has the number of companies responding to the annual CDP questionnaire – from 228 companies in 2003 to over 8,400 in 2019. Company scores are based on 14 disclosure areas such as C-suite level sign-off on the questionnaire content, producing GHG emission data verified by a third party, or publicizing their completed questionnaire on the CDP website. Among all respondents, 179 companies (2%) scored the highest in leadership by demonstrating the strongest commitments to reducing greenhouse gases emissions from their operations and supply chain.Among these 179 companies – referred to as the A-list companies – 10 are SEMI members headquartered in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and France. SEMI applauds these members for ranking among the most progressive companies in disclosing greenhouse gas emissions, an achievement that requires considerable work but puts them in a position of strength in conveying to customers, investors and other stakeholders their commitment to climate resiliency.Olivier Corvez is senior manager of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at SEMI.