Frank Huang, founder and chairman of Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., died Friday at age 76 of cardiopulmonary failure in his sleep, the company said in a filing.
Vice Chairman Brian Shieh will take over as acting chairman. PSMC said production and sales continue as planned, with employees carrying forward Huang’s mission for Taiwan’s high-tech industry.
Huang founded DRAM maker Powerchip Semiconductor in 1994, listing it on Taiwan’s OTC market in 1998. After years of global DRAM weakness left the company buried in debt, Powerchip delisted in 2012. Huang then repaid about NT$120B and transformed the company into pure-play foundry operator PSMC, which listed on the main board in 2021 in what many called a rebirth.
As recently as July, Huang chaired an investor conference. PSMC reported first-half earnings per share of NT$4.08, versus a NT$1.06 loss a year earlier. Reuters reported his death Friday evening, and Focus Taiwan confirmed the company statement.
