YUNLIN, Taiwan - From operating drones to visiting a museum run by chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., 30 Japanese high school students got a glimpse of Taiwan's semiconductor industry during a six-day summer camp in July aimed at encouraging them to study and work there.
The camp was organized by the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in central western Taiwan, where the students attended a lecture on the history of semiconductors before trying their hand at flying drones.
They also visited a semiconductor research facility backed by the Taiwanese government.
"I joined because I like Taiwan and building electronic devices. I was also glad to visit TSMC," said Yugo Yamada, a third-year student at Sapporo Nihon University High School.
The program comes as semiconductor companies around the world compete for skilled workers. Given the close ties between universities and industry in Taiwan, the camp also reflects efforts to attract Japanese students to Taiwanese universities and eventually into jobs at local companies.
Sora Takahashi, a third-year student at Shizuoka Prefectural High School of Science and Technology, said, "I would like to attend the university and learn more about semiconductors."
For some participants, TSMC's growing presence in Japan had already sparked their interest. One student said the company's factory in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto prompted them to learn more about the industry.
The world's largest contract chipmaker started mass production at its first factory in Japan in the prefecture in 2024 and is building a second plant adjacent to it, with operations expected to start by the end of 2027.
The camp drew about twice as many applications as there were places available.
