Written & Image credit to NCKU News Center.
 

National Cheng Kung University Department of Electrical Engineering Class of 1978 and Institute of Electrical Engineering Class of 1982 alumnus, TSMC Senior Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Qin Yong-Pei, returned to campus on October 29. His return was at the invitation of the 75th anniversary celebration series of events for the United Daily News. He shared his insights with NCKU students and faculty on industry trends, talent cultivation, and youth career development under the AI wave. TSMC Chairman Wei Zhe-Jia also delivered remarks via video, encouraging young people to work proactively and remain humble, emphasizing that only by staying humble can one listen to different opinions and avoid falling into prejudice.
 

National Cheng Kung University Department of Electrical Engineering Class of 1978 and Institute of Electrical Engineering Class of 1982 alumnus, TSMC Senior Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Qin Yong-Pei, returned to campus to share with NCKU students and faculty on industry trends, talent cultivation, and youth career development under the AI wave.
 

The forum, titled “Cross-Generational Questions Together, AI-Era Answers Together,” was held at the Cheng-Gong Hall on NCKU’s Kuang-Fu Campus. It invited Qin Yong-Pei, one of the core members from TSMC’s founding period and a distinguished graduate of NCKU’s Department of Electrical Engineering—known in the industry as "TSMC’s Chief Engineer"—to engage face-to-face with his younger NCKU peers and faculty. The discussion covered industry development, talent needs, and youth career choices, exploring the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry and the new generation of talent in the AI era. The event attracted more than 400 faculty and students.

President Meng-Ru Shen delivered the opening remarks, introducing that senior Qin Yong-Pei received the NCKU Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award in the 2019 (108th) academic year and was further awarded an honorary doctorate from NCKU in the 2025 (114th) academic year, marking the completion of all of NCKU’s most prestigious milestones.
 

NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen delivered the opening remarks, introducing alumnus Qin Yong-Pei, affectionately nicknamed “Qin Gong.” President Shen noted that Qin received the NCKU Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award in the 2019 (108th) academic year and was further awarded an honorary doctorate from NCKU in the 2025 (114th) academic year. It can be said that all of NCKU’s most important milestones have already been collected by alumnus Qin Yong-Pei. In fact, humility is a common trait behind TSMC’s success. As TSMC Chairman Wei Zhe-Jia encouraged everyone in the video: “A humble person can listen to what others say. Do not forget who I am. Work proactively and remain humble.”
 

President Meng-Ru Shen stated that, from his observations, senior Qin is approachable and modest—qualities that managers must possess, and he hopes these will become personality traits that every NCKU graduate aspires to learn. Enterprises need forward-looking vision during expansion. Senior Qin not only has unique insights in both scientific and non-scientific aspects but also understands how to give back to society. Next semester, NCKU will also open multiple courses in collaboration with TSMC, hoping to successfully introduce these course contents into classroom teaching so that NCKU students have the opportunity to access and learn from TSMC’s practical experience and industry knowledge, creating more collaboration space between NCKU and TSMC.
 

TSMC Chairman Wei Zhe-Jia specially delivered remarks via video and shared his personal motto: “Do not forget who I am.” He stated that he greatly enjoys the works of American management scholar Jim Collins. After reading all of the author’s books, he reached an important conclusion: “People are the most important; you must always remain humble.” He further pointed out that the benefit of staying humble is the ability to listen to others’ opinions: “If you cannot listen to others, prejudice will come.” At the end of the video, Wei Zhe-Jia also left an “Bonus scene” revealing that he has read many wuxia (martial arts) novels and that his reading ability is no less than his professional expertise in the semiconductor field, adding a relaxed atmosphere to the remarks.
 

To welcome Qin Yong-Pei’s return, NCKU specially selected six students to participate in the panel discussion. The students came from different fields, including the College of Management, the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Science. Their questions covered AI development trends, how young engineers should choose professional directions, and how women can exert a more active influence in the semiconductor industry. Facing the students’ diverse and in-depth questions, Qin Yong-Pei responded to each one, sharing first-hand industry observations and experiences. Through this cross-generational exchange, he helped young students grasp industry dynamics and reflect on future learning directions and career development.