From Business Insider · Huileng Tan · · 1m 20s
The call that built Nvidia's empire
Jensen Huang traced three decades of partnership with TSMC to a single phone call from its founder after months of silence.
In brief
Jensen Huang traced three decades of partnership with TSMC to a single phone call from its founder after months of silence. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's breakthrough with TSMC founder Morris Chang, made after repeated unanswered calls in the late nineteen nineties, launched a thirty year partnership that now manufactures…
Huang's calls went nowhere
In the late nineteen nineties, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang tried repeatedly to reach TSMC, a smaller chipmaker then, by phone. He found the number in the Yellow Pages and left messages. Nobody called back.
“Nobody called me. Nobody called me back.”
A letter changed everything
After months of silence, Huang wrote TSMC founder Morris Chang a lengthy letter. After another long silence, Chang called Huang one evening. Huang was thrilled by the unexpected response from the TSMC founder.
“This is Morris Chang from TSMC.”
Chang's promise sealed the deal
Huang visited Taiwan and met both TSMC and rival United Microelectronics Corp. He chose TSMC because of Chang's emphasis on integrity, corporate governance, and long-term partnerships. Chang promised to jump through hoops for Nvidia.
“Jensen, if we were to work together, I promise you we would jump through hoops for you.”
Thirty years of partnership
For three decades, TSMC has manufactured Nvidia's chips, including its advanced AI chips today. Huang credits that single phone call from Morris Chang with launching the partnership that transformed both companies.
“For the whole time, 30 years, they've been jumping through hoops for us.”
The short version
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's breakthrough with TSMC founder Morris Chang, made after repeated unanswered calls in the late nineteen nineties, launched a thirty year partnership that now manufactures Nvidia's advanced AI chips.
