# Liang Mong Song

Co-CEO, SMIC. TIME100 AI 2026, Leaders. After 17 years at TSMC, he helped rival Samsung beat TSMC to 14nm chips, then became co-CEO of China's SMIC. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))

- Born: 1952, Taiwan ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- Education: PhD, Electrical engineering, UC Berkeley, 1984; MS, Electrical engineering, National Cheng Kung University; BS, Electrical engineering, National Cheng Kung University ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- Career: SMIC (Co-Chief Executive Officer, 2017 to now); Samsung (Chief Technology Officer, System LSI; EVP Foundry, 2011–2015); Sungkyunkwan University (Visiting Professor, 2010–2011); National Tsing Hua University (Professor of Electrical Engineering, 2009–2010); TSMC (Senior R&D Director, 1992–2009); AMD (Engineer, until 1992) ([smics.com](https://www.smics.com/en/site/news_read/4578), [smics.com](https://www.smics.com/en/site/about_team), [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song), [asiatimes.com](https://asiatimes.com/2023/09/us-curbs-on-tsmc-ex-engineer-liang-wont-hurt-smic/))
- TIME profile: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/liang-mong-song/
- Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/most-influential-people-in-ai/liang-mong-song

- To sit out his TSMC non-compete, he spent 2010 as a visiting professor at Samsung-owned Sungkyunkwan University, actually teaching at Samsung's in-house chip institute. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- Passed over for TSMC's R&D vice president job in the 2005 leadership change, he left the company in 2009 after 17 years. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- At Samsung he is credited with helping it reach 14nm FinFET chips before his former employer TSMC. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- Credited as inventor on nearly 500 TSMC patents, and was one of the company's so-called Six Knights of R&D. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song))
- In a 2020 letter he said he had led a team of more than 2,000 engineers that completed SMIC's 7nm chip process. ([livemint.com](https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/a-70-year-old-taiwanese-chip-wizard-is-driving-china-s-tech-ambitions-11659965745667.html))
- Before TSMC he worked as an engineer at AMD on memory chips. ([asiatimes.com](https://asiatimes.com/2023/09/us-curbs-on-tsmc-ex-engineer-liang-wont-hurt-smic/))