Taiwan is haemorrhaging semiconductor engineering talent to mainland China. As many as 3,000 chip engineers, including top-level talent from Taiwan’s world-leading companies, have been lured by generous salary and benefits packages to mainland competitors, according to this article in the Nikkei Asian Review.
“The goal is to bring Taiwanese talent to the mainland and hollow out Taiwan,” said Meng Chih-cheng of Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University.
China’s Achilles heel in its tech war with the US lies with its lagging semiconductor industry. But it is determined to boost its capabilities and become more self-reliant. Recruiting top talent from Taiwan is a relatively straightforward way to do that.