Taiwan has a huge advantage in the global semiconductor industry, ranking first in wafer manufacturing and chip packaging, and second in silicon wafer production capacity worldwide. To maintain Taiwan’s leading position in the global semiconductor industry, the Executive Yuan has announced a three-tiered strategy, with the national level focused on ensuring a steady supply of semiconductor talent that meets the quality and quantity demanded by the industry. The strategy also emphasizes strengthening semiconductor research in the areas of silicon-based semiconductors, compound semiconductors, and quantum technology.

According to the National Development Council’s “Three Key Talent Cultivation and Attraction Strategies,” Taiwan needs 136,000 STEM professionals annually, but the country’s universities and colleges can only produce around 97,000 relevant graduates each year. In addition, according to the human resources bank statistics, there is a shortage of 34,000 semiconductor professionals in Taiwan. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, 5G, artificial intelligence, and high-speed computing all rely on next-generation semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride or silicon carbide power devices, which further increases the demand for semiconductor professionals. Therefore, the semiconductor talent pool and industry chain have become Taiwan’s most important assets for global competitiveness.

In recent years, due to increasing global chip demand, an aging population, and a shortage of STEM talent, Taiwan’s semiconductor human resources have been severely lacking. In response, the Legislative Yuan passed the “National Key Field Industry-Academia Cooperation and Talent Cultivation Innovation Act” last year, declaring semiconductors a national key development area. This has led to the establishment of four semiconductor colleges at National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The Ministry of Science and Technology also launched research programs such as the “Next-generation Compound Semiconductor Forward-looking R&D Project,” “A-generation Forward-looking Semiconductor Project,” and “Advanced Crystal Project” to enhance Taiwan’s semiconductor research and development capabilities and ensure its future leadership in the industry.

Semiconductors are a multidisciplinary subject that covers areas such as physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, optoelectronics, electronics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. National Chung Yuan University has a strong foundation in science and technology, with over 65 years of experience and well-established semiconductor and materials-related faculties, state-of-the-art research equipment, and outstanding research capabilities. Furthermore, the university’s research performance in the field of materials science is ranked sixth among all universities and colleges in Taiwan. Therefore, the university should play an important role in semiconductor material research and talent cultivation.