Edited by Amy Lin.Image Credit to NCKU News Center.
 

Group photo of NCKU Forum speakers, moderators, NCKU President, and Qisda Group Chairman Peter Chen. From left: Prof. Chin-Feng Lai (Chair, Department of Engineering Science), Prof. Wen-Dung Hsu (Chair, Department of Materials Science and Engineering), Chairman Max C. Y. Huang, Chairman Wei-Wen Yang, Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee, President Dr. Meng-Ru Shen, Chairman Peter Chen, Chairman Miin Wu, Chairman You-Kung Tsai, Prof. Lih-Yih Chiou (Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering), and Prof. Chung-De Chen (Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering).  
 

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) celebrated its 95th anniversary with an array of grand events, notably the inaugural NCKU Forum jointly organized by the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Science. Held on November 5 at the Cheng-Kung Hall on NCKU's Kuang-Fu Campus, this forum marked the university's first cross-departmental collaborative forum for its anniversary week. The event convened influential leaders across industry and academia, including Miin Wu, Founder and Chairman of Macronix International; Wei-Wen Yang, Chairman of IV Technologies; You-Kung Tsai, Chairman of Syntec Technology; and Max C. Y. Huang, Friends of Stanford University Foundation. Centered on the theme "Talent as Taiwan's Most Vital Strategic Resource," the forum opened with the question "How?" to address talent cultivation, delved into talent competitiveness, AI smart manufacturing, and interdisciplinary education, and concluded with a forward-looking vision exploring Taiwan’s next-stage talent needs and how higher education and industry can partner to prepare the workforce of tomorrow.
 

President Dr. Meng-Ru Shen: Translating Academic Depth into Socially Beneficial Knowledge to Practice "Science for Humanity".
 

The forum commenced with opening remarks from NCKU President Dr. Meng-Ru Shen. Reflecting on NCKU’s 95-year trajectory, he emphasized that as a higher education institution, NCKU strives not only for academic depth but, more importantly, for translating academic research into actionable knowledge for society—embodying the spirit of "Science for Humanity." From its founding era cultivating high-level industrial engineering talent to subsequent milestones spanning industrial groundwork, defense advancement, urban prosperity, epidemic defense fortresses, and national resilience, NCKU has consistently answered the call of the nation and society. Behind each milestone, the foundational anchor has invariably remained talent cultivation.
 

President Shen further highlighted that a declining birthrate poses serious challenges to Taiwan’s talent pipeline. Universities may face scenarios of having "fewer individuals to educate," while industries encounter acute talent shortages. Consequently, NCKU’s next leap forward lies in accelerating internationalization: deepening global ties across international collaborations, industrial ecosystems, and talent recruitment to attract premier international talent to Taiwan.
 

Reflecting on the forum's inception, President Shen noted that the Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s NCKU Materials Industry Forum has long addressed pivotal industry issues, inspiring similar professional forums across electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and engineering science. NCKU recognized the need to elevate these efforts to an institutional scale, establishing a university-wide platform that transcends single domains. This initiative culminated in the NCKU Forum, bringing together industry leaders and alumni across diverse fields to examine the future of Taiwan’s talent landscape.
 

Miin Wu, Founder and Chairman of Macronix International: Expanding Global Learning and Exchange for the Next Generation.
 

The forum’s keynote series began with Miin Wu, Founder and Chairman of Macronix International, recipient of the 2002 NCKU Distinguished Alumni Award, and an illustrious alumnus of the Department of Electrical Engineering. More than three decades ago, Wu led over 40 tech professionals from Silicon Valley back to Taiwan to establish Macronix—a move recognized by U.S. media as a "reverse brain drain"—underscoring the transformative role of critical talent in Taiwan's high-tech ascent. Today, as AI sweeps the globe and talent competition enters a new epoch, Wu framed his talk around "How?", underscoring that talent development cannot be improvised only when demand strikes; it demands farsighted, long-term commitment. He shared his journey—from recruiting overseas experts to instituting internal corporate R&D and training, to fostering foundational education and science competitions. In the face of AI-driven global competition, Wu asserted that talent training must prioritize cross-disciplinary integration: "The real question is not how to catch up, but how to foster individuals capable of creating the future and sustaining a continuous cycle of talent supply." He also pledged tangible support for NCKU students to pursue advanced studies at Stanford University, unlocking international learning opportunities for the rising generation.
 

Wei-Wen Yang, Chairman of IV Technologies: "Talent is Taiwan's Next Shield—Materials Define the Limits, Talent Decides the Future".
 

Dr. Wei-Wen Yang, Chairman of IV Technologies and an alumnus holding a doctorate from NCKU's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has dedicated years to the R&D of key chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) materials in the semiconductor sector. As President of the NCKU Materials Science and Engineering Alumni Association(MSEAA), he has actively driven industry-academia exchanges. Under the title "Talent, Taiwan’s Next Shield: Materials Define the Limits, Talent Decides the Future," Dr. Yang traced connections from materials and equipment to human capital, remarking that "materials set the boundaries of technology, equipment elevates the ceiling of industry, and talent dictates Taiwan's future." As AI advances rapidly, he noted that while AI can supply answers, it cannot bear responsibility. Future talent must cultivate inquiry, independent critical thinking, and problem-solving beyond pure domain knowledge. Quoting Zheng Xie’s poem New Bamboo—"The new bamboo stands taller than the old, entirely leaning on old canes for support"—he urged the young audience onward: "Taiwan's next shield is none other than every one of you seated here today."
 

You-Kung Tsai, Chairman of Syntec Technology: Talent Demands in the AI Era.
 

You-Kung Tsai, Founder and Chairman of Syntec Technology, graduated from the Graduate Institute of Mechanical Engineering at NCKU. Having spent eight years at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Laboratories focusing on servo systems and CNC machine tool controllers, he founded Syntec in 1995, transitioning from technical research to entrepreneurship and building deep expertise in machine tool controls and smart manufacturing. Delivering a talk titled "Smart Manufacturing and Cross-Disciplinary Talent Cultivation in the AI Era," Tsai addressed evolving industry talent requirements based on practical corporate adoptions of AI and smart manufacturing. He stressed that enterprises no longer seek candidates who merely "use AI"; they demand professionals who grasp engineering domains, exercise sound judgment and verification, and tackle authentic problems. Navigating changing workplace paradigms, he advised students to foster three competencies: leveraging AI to learn disciplinary fundamentals, leading AI in effective collaboration, and partnering across multidisciplinary teams. AI can execute analysis and workflows, but professional discretion, verification, and ultimate responsibility remain uniquely human.
 

Max C. Y. Huang, Chairman of Friends of Stanford University Foundation: Future Talent Decides Which Dots Are Worth Connecting.
 

Max C. Y. Huang, Chairman of Friends of Stanford University Foundation, earned his master’s degree in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University and serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in NCKU’s Department of Engineering Science. In his keynote, "Future Talent Decides Which Dots Are Worth Connecting: From Connecting the Dots to Connecting the Future," Huang asserted that while AI can connect countless dots, the defining differentiator is human discernment—knowing which dots truly merit connection. Future professionals require critical judgment, creativity, and narrative competence to envision worth-pursuing futures and translate insights into action. He observed that in an era where information is ubiquitously accessible, human encounter, intellectual resonance, and co-creation remain irreplaceable. With nine colleges and distinctive specialized institutes located on a unified campus, NCKU offers unparalleled opportunities for cross-pollination. A single conversation or collaboration can unveil possibilities previously unimaginable. For Huang, the enduring essence of a university lies in orchestrating these encounters among diverse "dots," forging the future through interdisciplinary action.
 

Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee Moderates Panel Discussion.
 

The forum concluded with a comprehensive panel discussion moderated by NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee, bringing together speakers Miin Wu, Wei-Wen Yang, You-Kung Tsai, and Max C. Y. Huang. From the intersecting vantage points of industry practice, pedagogical development, and international competition, the panel delved into AI-era talent demands and explored how higher education must adapt to industry transformations, exchanging actionable insights on how Taiwan can effectively nurture, attract, and retain top-tier talent.
 

Bringing together industry leaders to discuss the talent agenda, the inaugural NCKU Forum attracted numerous faculty, students, and alumni, packing the venue to full capacity.