Vanguard International Semiconductor

Morris Chang established Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS) in December 1994 in Hsinchu Science Park as a provider of specialist IC foundry services in Taiwan. With TSMC, the National Development Fund, and other institutional investors as its primary owners, VIS went public on the Taiwan Over-The-Counter Stock Exchange (OTC) in March 1998.

Subcontracting to TSMC, VIS manufactured logic and mixed signal products, with a particular emphasis on developing and manufacturing DRAM and other memory IC. VIS made public their intention to make the switch from DRAM maker to foundry service provider back in the year 2000. In order to focus only on its foundry business, VIS ceased all DRAM production in February 2004. VIS increased its production capacity by acquiring two lines of 200-mm fab from Winbond Electronics Corp. In January of 2008, the deal was finalized. The Industrial Technology Research Institute is the organization that supports VIS.

Founded: December 1994
Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan
Website: https://www.vis.com.tw/