How Did Taiwan Become a Chip Island? · 台灣怎麼成為晶片島？

Big idea · 一句話看懂

Making a chip takes three big jobs: designing it, manufacturing it, and packaging and testing it. In 1987 a company in Taiwan chose to do only the manufacturing, for anyone who had a design. That idea, the foundry, changed how the world makes chips. Today Taiwan has important companies for all three jobs, gathered in a few science parks.
做出一顆晶片有三件大事：設計、製造、封裝測試。1987 年，台灣有一家公司決定只做「製造」這一段，誰有設計就幫誰做。這個點子叫做晶圓代工，改變了全世界做晶片的方式。今天，這三件事台灣都有重要的公司，而且集中在幾個科學園區裡。

3D Model · 3D 模型

One Chip's Trip Across the Island 一顆晶片的環島之旅

Drag to turn the map, and scroll or pinch to zoom. In “A chip's journey,” watch a glowing chip travel through the three jobs and then leave for the world; press a step to see it again. Then choose “Timeline” and drag the year from 1970 to 2005. Places light up on the map as things happen there.
拖曳可以旋轉地圖，滾輪或雙指可以縮放。在「晶片的旅程」，看一顆發亮的晶片走過三段工作、最後飛向全世界；按任何一步可以再看一次。再選「時間軸」，把年份從 1970 拉到 2005，哪裡發生了事情，地圖上的那個地方就會亮起來。

Drag to turn · 拖曳旋轉　Scroll or pinch to zoom · 滾輪／雙指縮放

This 3D model needs WebGL, which this browser does not support. The reading and the cards below still explain everything.
這個瀏覽器不支援 WebGL，無法顯示 3D 模型；下方的課文與卡片一樣能看懂。

Three jobs, then the world · 三段工作，再到全世界

This example trip, in straight lines: 這趟示例旅程的直線距離：新竹到台南，再到高雄

Labels標示

Pins: Hsinchu (blue), Tainan (orange), Kaohsiung (pink); green is Taichung
圖釘：新竹（藍）、台南（橘）、高雄（粉紅）；綠色是台中
Yellow arcs: the example route of one chip
黃色弧線：一顆晶片的示例路線
Green: Taiwan (a simplified outline)
綠色：台灣（簡化的輪廓）

A teaching map. The outline of Taiwan is simplified, the smaller islands are left out, and each pin marks a city, not an exact address. The route from Hsinchu to Tainan to Kaohsiung is one example of how a chip might travel; real chips take many different routes, and the distances shown are straight lines, not roads.
這是教學用的地圖。台灣的輪廓是簡化的，沒有畫離島，圖釘標的是城市、不是確切的地址。從新竹到台南再到高雄的路線，只是晶片可能怎麼走的一個例子；真的晶片有各種不同的路線，圖上的距離也是直線距離，不是公路里程。

Map and model drawn by My Culture Connect as a teaching diagram. Dates follow Wikipedia, “Semiconductor industry in Taiwan” and the other sources listed at the bottom of this page. · 地圖與模型由人師教育協會自繪示意；年份依維基百科「Semiconductor industry in Taiwan」條目與本頁最下方列出的其他出處。

Reading · 英文閱讀

8

Unit 8: How Did Taiwan Become a Chip Island?

Taiwan is a small island, yet people all over the world call it a chip island. Phones, computers, cars, and the servers that run AI depend on chips that passed through Taiwan. How did this happen? It did not happen by luck, and it did not happen quickly. It took about fifty years, and it began with a plan.

台灣是一座小島，全世界卻有很多人叫它「晶片島」。手機、電腦、汽車，還有跑 AI 的伺服器，都靠著經過台灣的晶片。這是怎麼來的？不是靠運氣，也不是一下子就發生的。它花了大約五十年，而且是從一個計畫開始的。

In 1973 the government founded a research institute called ITRI in Hsinchu. A year later, a small group of officials and engineers met to discuss how Taiwan could start making integrated circuits. In 1976 teams of young engineers were sent to RCA, a company in the United States, to learn how. They came home and built a demonstration factory, and it worked well.

1973 年，政府在新竹成立了一個研究機構，叫做工業技術研究院（工研院）。隔年，一小群官員和工程師開會，討論台灣要怎麼開始做積體電路。1976 年，一批批年輕的工程師被派到美國的 RCA 公司去學。他們回來之後蓋了一座示範工廠，而且做得很成功。

The next step was to turn research into companies. In 1980 UMC was spun off from ITRI and became Taiwan's first chip company. In the same year Hsinchu Science Park opened beside two universities, so that companies, engineers, and students could be close together. Today hundreds of companies have their homes in that park.

下一步是把研究變成公司。1980 年，聯華電子（聯電）從工研院獨立出來，成為台灣第一家積體電路公司。同一年，新竹科學園區在兩所大學旁邊成立，讓公司、工程師和學生靠得很近。今天有好幾百家公司把家安在這個園區裡。

Then came the big idea. In those days, a chip company did everything itself: it designed its chips and also built the expensive factories to make them. In 1987 Morris Chang founded TSMC to do only one part. It would manufacture chips for any company that had a design, and it would not design chips of its own. This kind of company is called a foundry.

接著是那個重要的點子。那個年代，一家晶片公司什麼都自己來：自己設計晶片，也自己蓋昂貴的工廠來製造。1987 年，張忠謀創辦台積電，只做其中一段：誰有設計，它就幫誰製造，自己不設計晶片。這種公司叫做晶圓代工廠。

The foundry changed the industry. Now a small team with a good idea could design a chip without building a factory. Design companies, called fabless companies, grew up around the world. And Taiwan filled in the other steps as well: design companies such as MediaTek in Hsinchu, and packaging and testing companies such as ASE in Kaohsiung.

晶圓代工改變了整個產業。從此以後，一個有好點子的小團隊不用蓋工廠也能設計晶片。只做設計的「無廠半導體公司」在世界各地冒出來。而其他幾段，台灣也補上了：做設計的公司，例如新竹的聯發科；做封裝測試的公司，例如高雄的日月光。

So a chip's trip can look like this: designed in one place, manufactured in a science park, packaged and tested in another city, and then shipped to the world. Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung all lie along the west coast of one small island, and that closeness helps. The chip island was built by many people over many years, one step at a time.

所以一顆晶片的旅程可能是這樣：在一個地方設計，在科學園區製造，到另一個城市封裝測試，然後送往全世界。新竹、台中、台南、高雄都在同一座小島的西岸，這種「近」很有幫助。晶片島是很多人花了很多年，一步一步蓋起來的。

Read aloud · 課文朗讀

Questions · 閱讀理解

What are the three big jobs in making a chip?

Designing the chip, manufacturing it, and packaging and testing it.

What was new about TSMC in 1987?

It only manufactured chips for other companies and did not design chips of its own. It was the world's first company of this kind, called a foundry.

Why does it help that the science parks and companies are close together?

Because a chip has to pass from one company to the next. When they are close, people, wafers, and ideas can move between them quickly.

Words & Phrases · 生字及片語

design(v., n.)設計She designs video games.她設計電玩遊戲。manufacture(v.)製造This factory manufactures bicycles.這座工廠製造腳踏車。foundry(n.)晶圓代工廠；鑄造廠The foundry makes chips for many companies.這家晶圓代工廠替很多公司做晶片。industry(n.)產業Tourism is a big industry in this town.觀光是這個小鎮很大的產業。engineer(n.)工程師My aunt is an engineer at a chip company.我阿姨是晶片公司的工程師。research(n.)研究Good research takes a lot of time.好的研究要花很多時間。science park(n.)科學園區Many chip companies are in the science park.很多晶片公司都在科學園區裡。found(v.)創立The school was founded in 1950.這所學校創立於 1950 年。

Quick Check · 小測驗

1. What does a foundry do?

2. What is a fabless company?

3. When was Hsinchu Science Park established?

4. Which step comes last before a chip is shipped?

5. Where did Taiwan's engineers go in 1976 to learn how to make chips?

Who Does What? · 誰做哪一段？

Sort the companies 把公司分一分

Seven well-known chip companies are listed here. For each one, choose the job it is known for: designing chips, manufacturing them for others, or packaging and testing them.
這裡有七家有名的晶片公司。替每一家選出它最主要的工作：設計晶片、替別人製造晶片，還是封裝和測試晶片。

TSMC台積電

MediaTek聯發科

ASE日月光

Nvidia輝達

UMC聯電

Qualcomm高通

AMD超微

The answers follow the examples in Wikipedia's articles on the foundry model, MediaTek, and ASE. Real companies often do a little more than one job; this game asks for the main one.答案依維基百科「Foundry model」「MediaTek」「ASE Group」條目裡的例子。真的公司常常不只做一件事，這個遊戲問的是最主要的那一件。

Your score · 你的分數

0 / 7

Try It in the Model · 在模型裡試試

Three jobs and fifty years 三段工作與五十年

The distances are straight lines between cities. The whole example trip on the island is about 240 kilometers.
距離是城市之間的直線距離。這趟示例旅程在島上總共大約 240 公里。

Design設計

Hsinchu · 新竹

The chip starts as a drawing made on computers. No silicon yet, only ideas.
晶片一開始是電腦上的一張圖。還沒有矽，只有想法。

Manufacture製造

Hsinchu to Tainan · 新竹到台南

The design travels about 200 kilometers south to a wafer fab. Watch the chip fly down the west coast.
設計圖往南走大約 200 公里，到一座晶圓廠。看晶片沿著西海岸飛下去。

Package and test封裝測試

Tainan to Kaohsiung · 台南到高雄

A short hop of about 40 kilometers, and the chips are packaged and tested.
再跳一小段，大約 40 公里，晶片就被封裝、測試。

The timeline時間軸

1973 to 2003 · 1973 到 2003 年

Watch the years roll by. Notice how long Hsinchu was the only pin on the map.
看年份一年一年過去。注意新竹有多長一段時間是地圖上唯一的圖釘。

Go Further · 延伸閱讀

Look back at the whole series 回頭看看整個系列

Chips and Semiconductors · Lesson 3 · 晶片與半導體第三課How Does Sand Become a Chip?沙子怎麼變成晶片？What happens inside the wafer fab in step 2.第 2 步的晶圓廠裡發生了什麼事。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Chips and Semiconductors · Lesson 6 · 晶片與半導體第六課Why Do We Stack Chips Together?先進封裝：為什麼要把晶片疊在一起？What happens in packaging and testing in step 3.第 3 步的封裝測試在做什麼。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →

The Chip Island by the Numbers · 晶片島的數字

Fifty years in six numbers 六個數字看五十年

Each of these dates is a step on the way.
每一個年份，都是路上的一步。

1973ITRI founded · 工研院成立

A government research institute is set up to build Taiwan's industrial research.政府成立研究機構，為台灣的產業做研究。

1976learning from RCA · 向 RCA 學習

Teams of engineers go to the United States to learn chipmaking, then build a demonstration factory at home.一批批工程師到美國學做晶片，回來蓋了示範工廠。

1980a company and a park · 一家公司、一座園區

UMC becomes Taiwan's first chip company, and Hsinchu Science Park is established.聯電成為台灣第一家積體電路公司，新竹科學園區成立。

1987the first foundry · 第一家晶圓代工

TSMC is founded as the world's first company that only manufactures chips for others.台積電成立，是全世界第一家專門替別人製造晶片的公司。

3jobs · 段工作

Design, manufacturing, and packaging and testing. Taiwan has important companies in all three.設計、製造、封裝測試。這三段台灣都有重要的公司。

584companies · 家公司

The number of companies registered in Hsinchu Science Park at the end of 2024.2024 年底登記在新竹科學園區的公司數目。

Chip Island Stories · 晶片島的故事

A meeting, a classroom abroad, a park beside two universities, and one bold idea 一場會議、一間海外的教室、兩所大學旁的園區、一個大膽的點子

Four moments that shaped the island.
塑造這座島的四個時刻。

1974

The meeting那一場會議

In 1974 a small group met to talk about Taiwan's future: the minister of economic affairs, Sun Yun-suan, several other officials, the president of ITRI, and Pan Wen-Yuan, a research director from RCA. They talked about how Taiwan could build a semiconductor industry. Taiwan's chip industry counts its start from that year.
1974 年，一小群人坐下來談台灣的未來：經濟部長孫運璿、幾位官員、工研院院長，還有 RCA 研究室主任潘文淵。他們討論的是台灣要怎麼發展半導體產業。台灣的半導體產業，就從這一年算起。

1976 · RCA

Students again再當一次學生

In 1976 RCA agreed to transfer its chipmaking technology. ITRI sent four teams of engineers to train at RCA in the United States. Back home, they built a demonstration factory, and it reached higher yields than RCA's own factories.
1976 年，RCA 同意把製造晶片的技術轉移過來。工研院派了四組工程師到美國 RCA 受訓。回來之後，他們蓋了一座示範工廠，良率比 RCA 自己的工廠還高。

1980 · 竹科

A park beside two universities兩所大學旁邊的園區

The idea for Hsinchu Science Park came in 1976: build a place like Silicon Valley, next to National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University, so that companies and classrooms would be neighbors. The park was established on December 15, 1980.
新竹科學園區的構想出現在 1976 年：仿照矽谷，把園區蓋在清華大學和交通大學旁邊，讓公司和教室當鄰居。園區在 1980 年 12 月 15 日成立。

1987 · 台積電

Make chips, design none只製造，不設計

Morris Chang had worked at Texas Instruments for 25 years before he was invited to Taiwan to lead ITRI. In 1987 he founded TSMC as a joint venture of the government, ITRI, and private investors. It would manufacture chips for others and design none of its own. That way of working became a model for the whole industry.
張忠謀在德州儀器工作了 25 年，之後受邀到台灣擔任工研院院長。1987 年，他創辦台積電，由政府、工研院和民間一起出資。這家公司只替別人製造晶片，自己不設計。這種做法後來成了整個產業的模式。

Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思

Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會

✗ Myth · 迷思One company makes a chip from start to finish.一顆晶片從頭到尾都是同一家公司做的。

✓ Fact · 事實Usually not. One company designs it, another manufactures it, and often a third packages and tests it.通常不是。一家設計，另一家製造，常常還有第三家負責封裝和測試。

✗ Myth · 迷思Taiwan's chip industry appeared suddenly a few years ago.台灣的晶片產業是這幾年突然冒出來的。

✓ Fact · 事實It grew step by step over about fifty years, starting with a research institute in 1973.它是花了大約五十年一步一步長大的，從 1973 年的一個研究機構開始。

✗ Myth · 迷思A foundry designs the chips it makes.晶圓代工廠自己設計它做的晶片。

✓ Fact · 事實A foundry manufactures chips that other companies designed. That is exactly what makes it a foundry.晶圓代工廠製造的是別的公司設計的晶片，這正是「代工」的意思。

✗ Myth · 迷思Chips made in Taiwan are made only from things found in Taiwan.台灣做的晶片，用的都是台灣自己的東西。

✓ Fact · 事實Chipmaking is a worldwide effort. The machines, materials, designs, and customers come from many countries, as you saw in Lessons 3 and 4.做晶片要靠全世界一起合作。機器、材料、設計和客戶來自很多國家，就像第三、四課看到的那樣。

Remember It · 記憶口訣

The chip island in a sentence 一句話記住晶片島

Design, make, package設計、製造、封測

Three jobs, usually done by three kinds of companies.
三段工作，通常由三種公司來做。

A foundry makes, a fabless company designs代工廠製造，無廠公司設計

One has the factory. The other has the idea.
一個有工廠，一個有點子。

Research, then companies, then parks先研究、再開公司、再蓋園區

1973, 1980, and onward: each step built on the last.
1973、1980，一路往後：每一步都踩在前一步上。

Close together靠得近

Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung: all on one small island.
新竹、台中、台南、高雄：都在同一座小島上。

Safety First · 安全提醒

Before you try anything 動手之前先讀

A science park is a workplace, not a playground. Visit only on an arranged tour, and stay with your teacher.科學園區是上班的地方，不是遊樂場。只在安排好的參訪時進去，並且跟緊老師。
When you interview a family member about work, ask first, and do not share anything that their company keeps secret.訪問家人工作上的事情之前要先問過，公司要保密的事情不要寫出來。
Use scissors and pins carefully when you make your map.做地圖的時候，小心使用剪刀和圖釘。

Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一

The Chip Relay 晶片接力賽

You need · 準備材料

A sheet of paper and a pencil for each team, and three tables每隊一張紙和一支鉛筆，還有三張桌子
Signs for the tables: Design, Manufacture, Package and Test三張桌子的牌子：設計、製造、封裝測試

Steps · 步驟

At the Design table, one student draws a simple pattern of five shapes and passes the paper on.在「設計」桌，一位同學畫出由五個形狀組成的簡單圖案，再把紙傳下去。
At the Manufacture table, the next student copies the pattern exactly, four times, on a new sheet (four chips on one wafer).在「製造」桌，下一位同學把圖案一模一樣地畫四次在新的紙上（一片晶圓上四顆晶片）。
At the Package and Test table, the last student cuts the four apart, checks each against the design, and throws away any that are wrong.在「封裝測試」桌，最後一位同學把四顆剪開，一顆一顆對照設計圖檢查，把錯的丟掉。
Count the good chips. Then talk about it: what happens to the whole team if one table is slow, or far away?數一數有幾顆好晶片。再討論：如果有一張桌子很慢、或離得很遠，整隊會怎麼樣？

Nobody at the Manufacture table changes the design. That is the foundry's promise.
「製造」桌的人不會去改設計。這就是晶圓代工的承諾。

Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二

My Chip Map 我的晶片地圖