Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, on Saturday said it would distribute about NT$456 million (US$15.11 million) in bonuses to its employees by the end of this month.
At the company’s annual sports day in Hsinchu, where TSMC is headquartered, chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) announced that the company’s 38,000 employees who were formally employed by the company by May 31 would each receive a NT$12,000 bonus.
TSMC has traditionally announced a cash gift to employees on its annual sports day to supplement year-end and quarterly bonuses and to show gratitude to its employees for their contributions. Last year, TSMC announced on the same occasion that it would dole out more than NT$400 million in bonuses to about 36,000 employees.
At Saturday’s sports meet, which followed the company’s celebration of its 30th anniversary last month, the 86-year-old Chang said he was excited to see so many energetic TSMC employees at the event, giving him faith that the company and its employees would continue to create miracles.
Chang was presiding over his last TSMC sports day as chairman. He announced on Oct. 2 that he would retire in June next year, after serving the company for 30 years.
Chang said that the past 30 years, which he spent founding and running TSMC, were the most fortunate, exciting and happiest years of his life.
He also spoke about how the company had invested heavily in its third decade in chips used in mobile devices, raked in handsome profits and is now pouring large sums into artificial intelligence (AI).
TSMC plans to continue to invest heavily in AI because the technology is expected to be used widely and make a large contribution to the company’s bottom line, Chang said, who foresees AI first having an effect on healthcare applications, such as preventing strokes.
Commenting on TSMC’s plan to build an advanced 3-nanometer fab in Tainan, Chang said the government has assured the company that there would be no problem in supplying water and electricity to the new plant.
However, because construction of the new facility is not to begin until 2020, Chang said he hopes that the government would give more guarantees to TSMC and further strengthen the company’s faith in the nation’s ability to supply water and power to the Tainan plant.
As for TSMC’s growth, Chang said the company expects to see its revenue rise 5 to 10 percent per year over the next three years.
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