Taiwan's Battle for its Own Chip Talent: Exploring Efforts to Defend Against Cross-Strait Brain Drain
Taiwan’s dominance in advanced semiconductor manufacturing has long fueled global technological innovation, but its most critical asset may not be chips, but rather, chip talent. As the world’s leading hub for AI chip expertise, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry benefits from a self-reinforcing cycle of specialized workforce development which enables it to maintain its global edge in the design and production of high-performance compute. However, as AI applications expand, Taiwan’s chip talent has become an increasingly contested resource in the geopolitical struggle between the United States and China. While both nations seek access to Taiwan’s chips, their deeper strategic goal is to cultivate domestic semiconductor expertise, leading to heightened competition for skilled professionals. China in particular has pursued aggressive recruitment efforts to poach Taiwan’s semiconductor engineers, prompting Taipei to strengthen legal protections against talent drain. This Article examines Taiwan’s evolving legal and policy response to these challenges and argues that law alone will be insufficient for Taiwan to protect its talent.
Recommended Citation: Cosimo L. Fabrizio, Taiwan's Battle for its Own Chip Talent: Exploring Efforts to Defend Against Cross-Strait Brain Drain, 49 Fordham Int'l L.J. 1 (2026).