IT Home, October 16: According to Business Insider on the 15th, before NVIDIA became an AI giant, CEO Jensen Huang went to great lengths to contact TSMC—making repeated phone calls, but no one ever returned them.
In a podcast interview released on the 14th, Jensen Huang recounted how he initially reached out to TSMC’s founder, Morris Chang. In the late 1990s, NVIDIA needed to find a foundry to produce graphics chips. At the time, foundry capacity was tight, and some manufacturers required customers to grant technology licenses before accepting orders.
Huang Renxun had heard of TSMC. At that time, TSMC was much smaller than it is today, so he decided to try contacting them. He found TSMC’s U.S. office phone number in the Yellow Pages and called, but only heard a voicemail.
He left his contact information, introduced the products developed by NVIDIA, and called several more times. Huang Renxun recalled, “No one called me back.”
Later, he wrote a long letter to Morris Chang. After that came another long wait, until one evening, Huang Renxun unexpectedly received a phone call; the person on the other end introduced himself: “I’m Morris Chang from TSMC.”
At the time, the NVIDIA employees beside him were still playing games, laughing and chatting loudly. Huang rushed to tell his colleagues to quiet down: “Hey, stop making noise! That’s Morris Chang!”
Chang Jung-woo finally returned the call, filling Huang Jen-yun with joy: “Maybe we won’t go bankrupt after all.” Following this, Chang invited Huang to Taiwan to visit TSMC and its competitor UMC.
Huang Renxun said both companies left a strong impression on him, but his conversation with Morris Chang ultimately led him to choose TSMC. Chang emphasized integrity, corporate governance, and long-term partnerships during their discussion. At the time, Chang told him, “Renxun, if we work together, I guarantee I’ll do everything in my power to support you.”
Huang Renxun recalled: “For 30 years, TSMC has been finding ways to help us.”
TSMC announced on the 15th that, driven by strong demand for AI chips, its net profit for the third quarter increased by 69%, reaching a record of NT$763.1 billion (approximately RMB 158.801 billion at current exchange rates).