The origin of integrated circuits (IC) in Taiwan was at a breakfast shop on Nanyang Street in Taipei City.

By 1974 Taiwan had created an economic miracle which was mainly based around labor intensive light industry and processing of exports, and they had jumped to the leading position among the four Asian tigers. Nevertheless, Taiwan was also faced with maturing industrial development and a severe bottleneck. Furthermore, third world countries were rising in development with large and low-cost labor forces; consequently, there was a strong need for Taiwan to find a turning point for the next generation of industry.

In February of the same year on Nanyang Street in Taipei City, leading figures gathered at Xiaoxinxin Soymilk at a breakfast meeting of Taiwan's heavyweight political and economic figures, including Executive Yuan General Secretary Fei Hua, Ministry of Economic Affairs Minister Sun Yi-qi, Directorate General of Telecommunications Director Fang Xian-qi, Ministry of Transport and Communications Minister Gao Yu-shu, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Dean Wang Zhaozhen, Directorate General of Telecommunications Research Institute Director Kang Baohuang, and Research Director Pan Wenyuan of Radio Corporation of America (RCA), which was a major force in the development of Taiwan’s IC industry.

The group held a meeting over breakfast concerning the direction of Taiwan’s industrial development and decided to make ICs the basis of their industrial development blueprint. The scent of soymilk permeated the room as they outlined their vision for the future transformation of Taiwan’s high-tech industry.

Soon after entering the exhibition area, visitors see a replica of the “Xiaoxinxin Soymilk Shop” from 1974 which added delicious tastes to the high-tech industry. The interactive area is incorporated into home living situations and objects on display that can be touched in the space, such as IC chips, enable everyone to experience how ICs are as ubiquitous as the soymilk shops which are commonly found in street alleys in Taiwan.

(TR/ Phil Sweeney)