From a grassroots engineer to a professional manager, distinguished Taiwan Tech alumnus Sian-Yue Hsu led the team that developed the EeePC. Since 2019, he has become the co-CEO of ASUS. With a solid technical background and management skills, Hsu has led ASUS, a 35-year-old company, to win the top spot among Taiwan's most valuable international brands for the tenth time, and has been repeatedly recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “World’s Most Admired Companies”. He continues to inherit ASUS’s excellent corporate culture, break new ground with smart innovative technology, and is committed to reaching new heights in the new era of AI.

Exclusive Interview with Taiwan Tech Alumni Service Team: 2023 Distinguished Alumnus - ASUS Co-CEO Sian-Yue Hsu (Graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering in 1979).

Technical and Vocational Education Ignites the Learning Switch: Taiwan Tech Cultivates Strong Professional Practicality

Coming from a military, public, and educational family, Sian-Yue Hsu humbly admits that initially, he was not a good student, so he chose to attend a vocational school. Surprisingly, following his passion improved his learning outcomes dramatically, leading to outstanding grades and eventually securing a spot at his top choice: Taiwan Tech (before National Taiwan Institute of Technology) for further studies. Hsu particularly appreciates the adaptive nature of technical and vocational education, which develops diverse talents needed by society, fostering collaboration and making these professionals indispensable across various industries.

Recalling his time at Taiwan Tech, Hsu was impressed by Professor Dong-Forng Huang’s microprocessor lab course. This hands-on learning experience, covering software, hardware, and user interfaces, allowed students to work on comprehensive projects from initiation and specification to execution. This process provided a deep understanding of the differences between theory and practice and enabled students to realize that when faced with any problem, avoiding speculation is definitely not the solution to problems. For Hsu, this was an invaluable experience before entering the workforce. He believes that Taiwan Tech’s practical learning approach integrates theory with practice, enhancing professional knowledge and practical experience. It also fosters continuous learning and solid practical skills, which are crucial traits that have enabled him to thrive in the rapidly advancing tech industry and achieve a successful career.

Design Thinking Creates Brand Value: Maintaining Industry Leadership Steadfastly

In 2023, ASUS was named Taiwan's most valuable international brand for the tenth time. Discussing how to continuously create brand value, Sian-Yue Hsu believes that one of the key factors enabling ASUS to maintain its lead in the rapidly changing tech industry is Chairman Jonney Shih's leadership in the technology industry. “Design Thinking” promoted within the company. Engineers must design products that address consumer pain points and understand the user experience, as customer satisfaction directly impacts purchasing decisions and significantly influences the brand.

ASUS implements its brand strategy through the “Golden Triangle” approach, which links “Design Thinking”, “Market Positioning”, and “NPS User recommendation”. Initially, Design Thinking is used to create products that offer a good user experience and then uses marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) to promote brand value. Finally, the NPS feedback evaluates the actual customer experience, providing insights into whether the entire product process needs improvement. This thorough implementation of a corporate culture based on consumer needs is the key to ASUS’s sustained leading position in the industry.

Mastering AI forward-looking Technologies: Transforming and Innovating for the New Tech Era

Sian-Yue Hsu noted that ASUS began with motherboards and has since developed into three major business groups to adapt to the rapidly changing tech industry. The Open Platform Business Group is responsible for components, servers, and related businesses while the System Business Group continues to develop product lines such as laptops, mobile phones, and gaming devices. The Smart IoT Business Group is the company's future force, focusing on smart manufacturing, smart healthcare, smart retail, and smart cities.

ASUS currently operates an AI experimental factory in the smart manufacturing field, helping the industry optimize production processes. In smart healthcare, it has developed the xHIS next-generation smart healthcare information platform specifically for hospitals. AI-powered features, such as speech recognition systems, assist physicians in filling out medical records, making diagnoses, and applying for insurance codes, with significant effectiveness demonstrated in numerous medical institutions.

Hsu believes that ASUS has very favorable conditions for the development of generative AI applications and ecosystems. From server production to data center deployment and subsequent operations, ASUS has extensive experience. Moreover, the company's product lineup includes the terminal devices required for the application of cloud technology in daily life. ASUS, in collaboration with other domestic manufacturers, partnered with the National Center for High-performance Computing to develop Taiwan's first AI supercomputer, “Taiwania 2”, laying a solid foundation for AI development in Taiwan. Additionally, its subsidiary, Taiwan AI Cloud, launched the world’s first Traditional Chinese Formosa Foundation Model (FFM). Currently, in collaboration with Taiwan Mobile, it is optimizing customer service processes with excellent results.

Leveraging School Resources: Theoretical Knowledge Mustn't Be Neglected

In the era of rapid AI development, Sian-Yue Hsu encourages his students to take the initiative to utilize school resources, explore industries of interest during their studies, and actively accumulate the necessary knowledge and skills. He believes this will facilitate a smoother transition into the workforce in the future. While Taiwan Tech stands out for its excellent practical capabilities compared to other universities, Hsu emphasizes the importance of continuously improving fundamental theories and knowledge for long-term career development. Reflecting on his time at Taiwan Tech, Hsu recalls studying neural networks, which already covered the basic theories and frameworks of generative AI, reaffirming that theoretical foundations are the constant cornerstone of technological advancement, applicable even in the face of rapid technological evolution.

Hsu also advises younger students that entering the workforce requires investing more effort and becoming like a sponge, absorbing knowledge, and adapting to the environment as much as possible. He welcomes graduates to join ASUS, noting the close collaboration between the group and Taiwan Tech, not only through industry-academia cooperation but also through jointly promoting international talent cultivation programs. This initiative aims to drive Taiwan’s technological industry growth with talent, enhancing international competitiveness in a positive cycle, and creating a win-win situation for the school, students, and enterprises.