緯創資通董事長林憲銘獲頒國立陽明交通大學榮譽工學博士
國立陽明交通大學於3月28日頒發名譽工學博士學位予緯創資通股份有限公司董事長暨策略長林憲銘先生，頒授典禮當天，同樣身為交大榮譽博士的前老闆-宏碁創辦人施振榮先生，也親臨會場致詞恭賀；除了肯定林憲銘先生的成就，稱其為宏碁第二個重要人物之外，更讚許其提早佈局AI的眼光與執行力，帶領分家後不被看好的緯創，創下市值八千億的佳績，並透露林憲銘也是宏碁的共同創辦人之一，而宏碁當年啟動再造所提出的企業競爭戰略「微笑曲線」一詞，更是由林憲銘所命名的。而除了事業成就之外，林憲銘對於回饋母校與公益也是不遺餘力。
林憲銘當天也以「YouRaiseMeUp」為結論，感恩一路上支持他的貴人們，並以「外圓內方」的人生價值與「誠懇、熱忱、謙虛、利他」四個建議，與大家分享他經營企業與人生的心得。典禮當天，除了仿若陽明交大與宏碁的同樂會，許多科技巨頭也到場祝賀，包括宣明智、緯穎董事長洪麗甯、緯創總經理林建勳、啟碁總經理高健榮，以及從事公益的夥伴嚴長壽先生。
除緯創外，林憲銘先生名譽博士由資訊與電機兩大學院共同推薦，典禮當天，由陽明交大校長林奇宏宣讀表彰詞並進行撥穗儀式，林奇宏校長表示，林憲銘先生畢業於陽明交大計算與控制工程學系，1979年加入宏碁、1998年升任總經理，因啟動再造，於2001年7月帶領研製服務事業自宏碁電腦分割並成立緯創資通。藉由在OEM／ODM產品開發的豐富經驗，帶領緯創八年獲得《財星》（Fortune）全球500大企業榮譽、2018年榮獲湯森路透（ThomsonReuters）全球科技百強（Top100GlobalTechnologyLeaders），也連續15年獲得富比士（Forbes）全球2,000大企業。如今，緯創資通已建立起分布於亞洲、歐洲及北美各地的營運據點，包含十個製造基地、十一個研發及技術支援中心，與十四個客戶服務中心，至2023年集團總市值已超過新台幣8,000億元。除緯創外，林憲銘也曾擔任緯創集團旗下三家上市/櫃公司：啟碁科技、緯創軟體與緯穎科技的董事長。啟碁科技是無線通訊產品的領導者、緯創軟體是亞太地區少數具有全球交付能力的專業軟體及資訊委外服務公司，而2012年成立的緯穎科技，則在AI熱潮爆發前已把握住時機，專注於提供超大型資料中心(HyperscaleDataCenter)及雲端基礎架構(CloudInfrastructure)各項產品及系統的解決方案。緯穎在2019年3月27日正式掛牌上市後屢屢繳出亮麗的成績，每股盈餘從2020、2021約50元，快速推升至2022的81.07元。在緯穎股價仟元之上、營收與市值屢創新高之際，林憲銘於2023年7月13日卸下董事長之職並圓滿交棒，完成所有上市子公司傳承新世代之規劃。
林憲銘相當重視專利投資及累積專利組合規模，持續擴大尖端科技研發的投資，布局涵蓋醫療保健、元宇宙、人工智慧、工業4.0、自駕及電動車等新興科技，並已投入超過新台幣100億元。而面對快速變化的科技競局與智能革命下的商業模式及產業變革，緯創也從2017年開始導入數位轉型，成立專責數位轉型辦公室以有效地驅動和落實從製造，乃至公司整體的數位及AI整合。林憲銘於頒授典禮中表示，2011年時緯創集團營收約5000至6000億台幣、員工總數約15萬人，但受惠於AI的幫忙，在目前員工數不到7萬人的狀況下，卻創造了約一兆的營收！儘管如此，林憲銘仍一再強調與呼籲，人才的稀缺與多樣化，是未來台灣能否繼續站穩世界優勢位置的關鍵。
有鑒於人才的稀缺與回饋母校，除了捐贈4,000多萬元予陽明交通大學臺南分校工程，緯創也投入近10億元資金，捐建臺南分部同行樓預定地新建工程，期許帶動及強化臺南的產學研究聚落效應，創造一個真正培育人才的平台。自2019年起，林憲銘更每年捐贈180萬元，成立「緯創業界講座」，希望藉由全球知名人工智慧領域專家學者來臺講學，培育業界實務經驗之產業人才，也以個人捐款1.5億元予陽明交大成立「華仁全球講座」，規劃邀請國際諾貝爾等級的學者、大師來臺擔任客座，加速臺灣學子與國際接軌，強化重點趨勢人才的扎根與研究交流。此外，緯創本身雖已具有二座獲世界經濟論壇認證的燈塔工廠，2023年6月仍與陽明交大合作成立｢智慧與綠能產業創新聯合研發中心｣，期待透過思考下一代智慧製造的定義與智慧綠能的議題，解構一個真正先進ICT產業智慧工廠的定義，創造臺灣領域典範。
頒授榮譽博士典禮當天，林憲銘致詞表示，在學時並非一個好學生，翹課、辦舞會樣樣來，但因為老師提出「為何唸大學」的問題啟發，以及當時接觸佛法，因此立定了「外圓內方」-圓融行事與堅定良知的人生價值觀，從而也使得他能夠因為處理好與「人」的關係，而一路上受惠於長輩、學長學弟、事業夥伴等貴人相助，才能有今日的佳績。而在回應學弟妹的提問時，林憲銘也勉勵在學的大家，若要創業，得先判斷自己是否有不安於室的個性DNA，以及智慧地處理人際關係的能力，而一個科技人除了專業知識之外，更需要對於文學、音樂、歷史、哲學等人文涵養的探索，開啟更多元的思維。對於大家最關注的AI議題，林憲銘也表示，的確已經在公司治理上看到AI的必要性，但本身並非AI專家，只是很幸運地抓住AI的尾巴飛了一陣子，未來必須要持續找到對的合作夥伴。最後，也呼應黃仁勳於史丹佛大學的演說，建議學弟妹們要跳出舒適圈，提高接受挫折的能力，增加韌性，才能勇於挑戰未來。
Wistron’s Chairman Simon Lin Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by NYCU
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University granted an honorary Doctorate of Engineering to Simon Lin, Wistron Corporation's Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, on March 28th. During the ceremony, Stan Shih, founder of Acer Inc. and an honorary doctorate recipient from NYCU, delivered a congratulatory speech. Shih recognized Lin's achievements and positioned him as the second most significant figure in Acer. He also commended Lin's innovative approach and effective implementation of AI that propelled Wistron Corporation, initially underestimated after its spin-off, to achieve a remarkable market value of 800 billion. Moreover, Shih disclosed Lin's role as one of Acer's co-founders and his contribution to the "Smiling Curve," a corporate competitive strategy proposed during Acer's restructuring. Apart from his professional achievements, Simon Lin has actively contributed to his alma mater and engaged in philanthropic initiatives.
Simon Lin concluded his acceptance speech with "You Raise Me Up" as a way to express gratitude to the supporters who had helped him throughout his journey. He also shared insights on managing both business and life, highlighting the importance of being 'outwardly gentle but inwardly stern' and advocating for sincerity, enthusiasm, humility, and altruism. The ceremony exuded festivity as Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Acer collaborated. Several tech industry leaders, including John Hsuan; Emily Hong, Chair of Wiwynn Corporation; Jeff Lin, CEO of Wistron Corporation; Jeffrey Gau, CEO of Wistron NeWeb Corp; and philanthropic partner Stanley Yen, attended to offer their congratulations.
Lin received a recommendation for an honorary doctorate from the College of Computer Science and the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering. During the ceremony, President Chi-Hung Lin of NYCU made the recommendation and conducted the tassel-turning. President Lin noted that Simon Lin graduated from the Department of Computing and Control Engineering at NYCU. He began his career at Acer in 1979 and was promoted to the position of general manager in 1998. Lin led the establishment of Wistron Corporation after it separated from Acer in July 2001, as part of Acer's restructuring. Lin's extensive experience in OEM/ODM product development helped Wistron, under his leadership, become one of the Fortune Global 500 companies for eight years. In 2018, it was recognized as one of the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Technology Leaders. Additionally, it has maintained its position among the Forbes Global 2000 companies for 15 consecutive years. Currently, Wistron Corporation has ten manufacturing sites, eleven research and technical support centers, and fourteen customer service centers across Asia, Europe, and North America. By 2023, the business conglomerate's total market value surpassed NT$800 billion.
Apart from Wistron Corporation, Lin has also held the position of chairman in three listed companies within the Wistron Group: Wistron NeWeb Corp, Wistron ITS, and Wiwynn Corporation. Wistron NeWeb Corp specializes in wireless communication products, while Wistron ITS is a professional software and information outsourcing service firm with global delivery capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. Wiwynn Corporation, established in 2012, focuses on delivering solutions for products and systems in hyperscale data centers and cloud infrastructure. Since its official listing on March 27, 2019, Wiwynn Corporation has consistently performed well, with earnings per share rising from around NT$50 in 2020 and 2021 to NT$81.07 in 2022. With Wiwynn's stock price surging to NT$1000 and its revenue and market value continuously reaching new peaks, Lin resigned from his position as Chairman on July 13, 2023, finalizing the succession plan for all listed subsidiaries to transition to the new generation.
Lin believes that it is essential to invest in patents and build patent portfolios. The company is continuously expanding its investments in cutting-edge research and technology development. Wistron's focus extends to emerging fields such as healthcare, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, autonomous and electric vehicles. The investment in these areas exceeds NT$10 billion. Wistron acknowledges the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and the transformations in business models spurred by the intelligence revolution. Since 2017, the company has been actively implementing digital transformation. They established a specialized office for digital transformation to effectively steer and execute digital and AI integration across manufacturing and the entire company. During the ceremony, Lin mentioned that in 2011, Wistron Group's revenue range was from NT$500 to 600 billion, employing approximately 150,000 people. However, with the aid of AI, the company now generates around NT$1 trillion in revenue with fewer than 70,000 employees. Despite this remarkable achievement, Lin consistently stresses the importance of valuing scarce and diverse talents as crucial to Taiwan's ability to maintain its leading global position.
Wistron Corporation has made a significant donation to the NYCU Tainan Campus. They have donated over NT$40 million and have pledged an additional nearly NT$1 billion for the construction of a new building on the Tainan campus. This initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia, creating an environment conducive to talent development. Since 2019, Lin has annually contributed NT$1.8 million to establish the "Wistron Junior Chair." This program invites globally renowned experts and scholars in the field of artificial intelligence to deliver lectures in Taiwan, fostering industry professionals with practical experience. Lin has also personally donated NT$150 million to National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, resulting in the establishment of the "H&J Global Chair." This project aims to attract Nobel Prizewinning scholars to Taiwan as visiting professors, aiding Taiwanese students in integrating into the international arena and reinforcing the establishment and exchange of research among key talents. Furthermore, Wistron Corporation, which owns two factories that joined Lighthouse Network of World Economic Forum, collaborated with NYCU to establish the "Joint Industrial Innovation Center for AI and Green Energy (JCAG)" in June 2023. This collaboration aims to redefine the concept of an advanced ICT smart factory by exploring the upcoming era of smart manufacturing and the challenges of smart green energy. It seeks to establish a model for Taiwan's industry.
During his honorary doctorate ceremony, Lin gave a speech in which he reminisced about his student days when he was not very diligent, often skipping classes and organizing dance parties. However, he was prompted by an instructor's question, "What's your purpose in attending college?" and his exposure to Buddhism at the time. This led him to adopt the principle of "outwardly gentle but inwardly stern." This principle emphasized the importance of harmonious conduct and a strong conscience, which helped him navigate interpersonal relationships effectively and gain the support of mentors, peers, and business associates, ultimately contributing to his present achievements. When asked by younger students, Lin encouraged them to pursue their academic goals and advised aspiring entrepreneurs to first evaluate whether they possess the innate inclination to challenge the status quo and possess the interpersonal skills necessary for success. Lin also emphasized the importance of exploring the humanities, including literature, music, history, and philosophy, to foster diverse thinking. Regarding the most concerning AI issues, Lin recognized the indispensable role of AI in corporate governance. Although not an AI expert himself, he acknowledged the good timing of aligning with the AI trend and stressed the ongoing need to seek suitable collaboration partners. Lastly, echoing Jensen Huang's address at Stanford University, Lin urged younger students to step out of their comfort zones, develop resilience in the face of adversity, and bravely confront the challenges of the future.