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Exclusive: Shocking! Former TSMC Senior Vice President Luo Weiren Rumored to Head R&D at Intel
[Reporter Hong Youfang/Hsinchu Report] Luo Weiren, former senior vice president of technology research and development and corporate strategy development at TSMC, just retired at the end of July this year. At the age of 75, he had only been retired for three months. Recently, the semiconductor industry has heard that he will go to competitor Intel to take charge of research and development. It is understood that TSMC's senior management has been informed of this news. Because Luo Weiren has worked at TSMC for 21 years, holding senior positions in operations and R&D, he is aware of many internal R&D and production confidential information. Intel is actively promoting its wafer foundry business with the assistance of the US government. Whether it will have an impact on TSMC and even affect Taiwan's semiconductor industry has caused heated discussion in the industry.
This is the first news in the semiconductor industry that a senior retired TSMC executive will join Intel as the US-China technology war continues to escalate and since US President Trump returned to the White House and pushed the US to return to production and manufacturing.
I've been looking forward to Intel working at TSMC for 21 years.
Industry insiders familiar with Luo Weiren believe that his leadership style was heavily influenced by Intel, having previously worked at the chipmaker. After joining TSMC, he oversaw key roles in operations, R&D, and pre-production yield improvement. He received considerable courtesy before his retirement, extending his retirement age by eight years beyond the company's mandatory 67-year retirement age. This demonstrates his high regard for the company's top management. TSMC has a non-compete clause, and Intel is a competitor. Luo Weiren's advanced age, combined with his health and support for TSMC founder Morris Chang, suggests he will likely not return to Intel. This reporter contacted Luo Weiren but received no response, making it impossible to confirm the rumors. Intel has not yet announced any personnel-related news.
Some also believe that Luo Weiren, fresh off his retirement, is rumored to be joining Intel. Given his high position and responsibilities at TSMC, he must possess considerable confidential information. Bringing this information to Intel would undoubtedly benefit Intel's development and harm Taiwan's semiconductor industry and TSMC. However, others believe that Luo Weiren, a US citizen, would be vulnerable to Intel's recruitment, even with a non-compete clause. The foundry industry is a team-based operation, and whether Luo Weiren can command Intel's team and help improve its mass production technology and yield rates is questionable. Perhaps Intel is using the reputation of recruiting a TSMC veteran as a strategic consideration for the next step in its foundry spinoff.
TSMC is moving toward mass production of its 2nm process technology, and Intel has become a major customer for TSMC's advanced process technology. Intel is actively promoting its 18A process technology, intending to use it in the production of its Core Ultra 300 series processors, codenamed Panther Lake. However, industry experts believe that Intel's process yield is suboptimal, forcing it to produce its own products and finding external customers is challenging. This makes it difficult for Intel to compete with TSMC in the foundry sector, and even if Luo Weiren were hired, it would be difficult to reverse the disadvantage.
Luo Weiren was recently awarded the honor of ITRI Fellow along with TSMC Senior Vice President of R&D, Mi Yujie. TSMC Chairman and President Wei Zhejia was also in attendance. At the ceremony, Luo Weiren emphasized that TSMC is a prime example of Taiwan's miracle creation. He thanked founder Morris Chang for establishing the ICIC (Integrity, Commitment, Innovation, Customer) corporate culture and its three pillars (technological leadership, manufacturing excellence, and customer trust), as well as the contributions of all TSMC employees. The three pillars, in particular, are essential for TSMC's growth and achievement of its current status. He also thanked TSMC Chairman Wei Zhejia and former TSMC Chairman Liu Deyin for their support.
Luo Weiren graduated from the Department of Physics at National Taiwan University and received a PhD in Solid-State Physics and Surface Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Early in his career, he served as Director of Intel's Advanced Technology Manufacturing (CTM) facility. After joining TSMC in 2004, he held senior positions in operations and R&D, driving the mass production of advanced processes, introducing EUV lithography, establishing a 24/7 R&D center to accelerate technology integration into mass production, and promoting the "One-Team" collaborative model to integrate R&D and production. Luo Weiren also participated in planning equipment investments and technology decisions. He was awarded the TSMC Medal of Honor by Morris Chang in recognition of his team's contributions.
〔記者洪友芳／新竹報導〕台積電前技術研發暨企業策略發展資深副總經理羅唯仁甫於今年7月底退休，75歲的他，退休才僅3個月，半導體業近期傳出他將前往競爭對手英特爾（Intel）掌管研發大計；據了解，
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