Key Points
- Taiwan’s world-leading semiconductor industry faces a critical worker shortage due to a declining birthrate.
- Companies like Synopsys are running summer camps to get young people interested in chip-making careers.
- For the first time, these programs are being offered in English to attract international students.
- Universities and giants like TSMC are also creating programs to bring in and train foreign talent.
Dressed in a protective white suit, 16-year-old Nicolas Chueh is getting a firsthand look at the high-tech machines that power Taiwan’s most vital industry: semiconductors. He’s part of a summer camp designed to tackle a growing crisis for the island—a severe shortage of skilled workers.
Taiwan’s world-leading chip companies, like TSMC, need tens of thousands of new engineers and technicians to keep up with global demand for electronics and AI. But the country’s birth rate is plummeting, and fewer students are graduating with science and technology degrees. To fill the gap, companies and universities are now looking abroad for talent.
U.S. chip design firm Synopsys is running the camp that Chueh attended. For the first time, it’s offering the program in both Mandarin and English to attract international students. Robert Li, the company’s Taiwan chairman, says they must act now to build a future workforce, even considering hosting camps internationally.
The push goes beyond summer camps. National Taiwan University has launched a global semiconductor program for foreign students, and chip giant TSMC is backing a program to bring German students to Taiwan for study and internships. Other initiatives try to make chip science fun for kids as young as ten through online games and interactive tools.
These efforts are critical. Taiwan’s massive influence on the world stage, and even its national security, depends heavily on its dominance in the chip industry. The hope is that by sparking curiosity today, they can secure the talent they will desperately need tomorrow.
