CEO resolutions: TSMC’s Wei cannot afford to relax after record year

{"text":[[{"start":13.46,"text":"It has been an unbelievable year for the chief executive of TSMC. "},{"start":17.627000000000002,"text":"Four years after CC Wei took over as the sole chief, the Taiwanese chipmaker has broken record after record. "},{"start":23.882,"text":"The share price has also doubled during that time. "},{"start":26.637,"text":"But Wei will need some bold New Year resolutions as he heads into a tough 2023. "}],[{"start":32.38,"text":"Sales have been strong this year. "},{"start":34.584,"text":"August’s $7.1bn total was yet another monthly record high. "},{"start":38.977000000000004,"text":"US export bans imposed on China have just bought TSMC more than a decade of time against Chinese peers that had been catching up fast and undercutting prices. "}],[{"start":48.06,"text":"Yet chip demand and prices are highly sensitive to a downturn in the semiconductor cycle or the global economy. "},{"start":54.202000000000005,"text":"Wei cannot expect a repeat in 2023. "}],[{"start":57.45,"text":"Competition poses a bigger challenge than the semiconductor cycle or an economic downturn. "},{"start":62.579,"text":"Samsung and Intel are both going all in on 2nm technology. "},{"start":66.697,"text":"TSMC has just started mass production of its 3nm chips, while Samsung already started shipping in July. "},{"start":73.464,"text":"That could mean a delay for Apple, TSMC’s key client. "},{"start":77.132,"text":"There is little brand loyalty in the chip industry. "},{"start":79.874,"text":"Staying at the top of the list of customers comes down to one thing: who can ship the most advanced chips. "}],[{"start":86.21000000000001,"text":"Another problem comes from inside. "},{"start":88.63900000000001,"text":"The current talent shortage at global chipmakers has never been more serious. "},{"start":92.557,"text":"Competitors, especially Chinese companies, have been poaching engineering talent from TSMC for years. "},{"start":98.787,"text":"Now, the talent war is local. "},{"start":101.129,"text":"Taiwan’s MediaTek and United Microelectronics are both planning to hire thousands of employees at home. "},{"start":106.75900000000001,"text":"US-based Micron, Intel and Nvidia as well as global chip gear makers ASML and Applied Materials are also hiring heavily in Taiwan. "},{"start":115.18900000000001,"text":"Wei will have to pay up to keep talent from leaving. "}],[{"start":118.74000000000001,"text":"Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has chosen TSMC as one of its biggest ever Asian tech investments. "},{"start":124.644,"text":"The stake has given the stock a boost. "},{"start":126.837,"text":"But as a 20 per cent drop in BYD shares after Berkshire Hathaway cut its stake shows, that could prove to be a double-edged sword. "}],[{"start":133.8,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftacademy.cn/album/94113-1672479176.mp3"}