Taiwan’s unprecedented rise as the world’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation is a testament to how a small island devoted itself to a relentless pursuit of a common purpose. That human story is the subject of the hit documentary A Chip Odyssey, the first feature-length film to chronicle Taiwan’s semiconductor journey, talent development strategy, and the challenges it faces amid an intensifying AI race in the era of great power competition.

To better understand these issues, APARC’s Taiwan Program and the Hoover Institution’s Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region co-hosted a sold-out screening of the documentary and a discussion featuring its director, Hsiao Chu‑chen, producers Ben Chen and Ben Tsiang (’92), and moderator Larry Diamond, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

We spoke with Tsiang and Diamond about the film and how resilience, democracy, and geopolitics intersect in Taiwan's remarkable journey to semiconductor supremacy. In another conversation, Hsiao and Chen shared insights into the making of the documentary and their take on Taiwan's semiconductor legacy. Watch both conversations here:

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Building Taiwan’s Silicon Shield

A Chip Odyssey paints an intimate portrait of the upskilling of the first generation of Taiwanese semiconductor engineers, beginning with their arrival in the United States in the 1970s for a technology transfer program at RCA Corporation. Testimonial interviews give insight into their hopes, motivations, and Taiwan’s struggles to survive in uncertain decades leading up to its semiconductor boom. The film then follows the emergence and ongoing development of what is perhaps the most vital resource in the current technology landscape, including the geopolitical tensions that loom over the island.

At the post-screening discussion, the panelists explored themes of national mission, industrial innovation, risk-taking, and global partnership. Director Hsiao explained that her impetus for undertaking the documentary originated from attending a 2019 memorial service for the leader of the RCA-Taiwan project, where she encountered firsthand the narratives of engineers who helped build Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. She was deeply moved by the dedication and collective effort of Taiwan’s first generation of engineers and resolved to tell their story.

Over the subsequent five-year production period, the project encountered multiple external disruptions, including the COVID pandemic, U.S.-China trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Hsiao did not foresee all these twists but remained committed to presenting Taiwan’s upward journey.

Ben Chen noted that the first-generation engineers did not necessarily anticipate the extraordinary prosperity of Taiwan’s chip industry; rather, they were motivated by a belief that their efforts would serve their country and were worthwhile in themselves. Producer Ben Tsiang emphasized Taiwan’s philosophy of resilience and long-term vision: rather than chasing immediate profit, the island’s industry invested in challenging decisions and sustained innovation over decades. Diamond remarked on the resonance of a comment from TSMC Chairman Mark Liu, that the industry’s purpose was not simply profit-making, an especially striking statement given the company’s financial success.

The conversation foregrounded the idea of shared destiny, a concept reflecting Taiwan’s self-view and its connection to the global ecosystem. Hsiao underscored that “Taiwan aims to be a bridge and partner in the world, not a source of conflict,” and that its semiconductor expansion and manufacturing collaborations are deeply international in orientation. Chen added that Taiwan’s success is built not on defeating competitors but on collaborating with upstream and downstream partners globally. The panelists all emphasized that the emerging model is not unilateral dependency but interdependency. 
 

Five Takeaways from A Chip Odyssey
 

1. National mission underpins industrial ascent
   Taiwan’s semiconductor development was driven by a collective sense of purpose: engineers and technicians believed their work would contribute to the nation and its survival, rather than simply personal gain. This orientation provides a meaningful contrast with purely profit-driven narratives of tech entrepreneurship.

2. Long-term strategy and resilience matter
   Rather than seeking short-term financial returns, Taiwan’s chip industry invested in decades-long research and development, supply-chain building, and skills cultivation. This long horizon allowed for technological ascendancy in the age of AI and advanced chipmaking.

3. Collaboration and ecosystem thinking are essential
   Taiwan’s success is rooted in deep engagement across the value chain, partnering with upstream tool providers, downstream manufacturers, and international collaborators. This ecosystem mindset underscores the importance of cooperation in high-technology sectors.

4. Shared destiny and global connectedness at the fore
   Rather than positioning itself in isolation, Taiwan casts its chip industry as part of a global, interdependent technology ecosystem. The phrase “shared destiny” — referencing Taiwan's national purpose of building its chip industry — now signals its aspiration to link its industrial path with that of its neighbors and global partners.

5. The role of narrative in technology policy and industrial identity
   By documenting the human stories behind chip manufacturing – the engineers, technicians, policymakers, and their sacrifices – the film suggests that industrial policy is not solely about machines and factories but about identity, culture, and national purpose.

Taiwan’s story, as told by A Chip Odyssey, is a case study in the intersection of technology, policy, and national identity.  As the semiconductor race and geopolitics shape technology supply chains, Taiwan’s experience offers lessons in resilience, ecosystem building, and forward-thinking R&D investments.