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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Davidson and Chi-hui Lin in Taipei

How Taiwan secured semiconductor supremacy – and why it won’t give it up

A wall formed from electronic circuits in Taipei. Taiwan is one of the world's major producers and exporters of semiconductor chips.
A wall formed from electronic circuits in Taipei. Taiwan is one of the world's major producers and exporters of semiconductor chips. Photograph: Wiktor Dąbkowski/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

The Hsinchu Science Park, on Taiwan’s west coast, is lush and green, with streets neatly planned and clearly signposted. The buildings are modern and well maintained – from the outside most visitors wouldn’t even know that they are among the world’s most important factories.

Hsinchu used to be famous for its fishball street snacks, but now it’s referred to as Taiwan’s Silicon Valley, a tech-focused microcosm pipelining workers from school to university and into the world-leading semiconductor industry that is crucial to global supply chains.

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