By, Ainul Amanie
GOMBAK, 22 May 2026: The programme, A Chip Odyssey: Dialogue and Documentary Screening, was organised by the Political Science Students’ Association (POSSA) IIUM in collaboration with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) at the Main Auditorium of the Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design (KAED) IIUM.
The director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO), H.E. Dr. Lien Yu Ping, stated in her opening remarks that this event is to share with the audience the technological advancements that Taiwan has been developing since the 1960s. Understanding that the technology developments in Taiwan have massive impacts towards the global semiconductor industry, this documentary screening is especially noteworthy for members of the audience to look through the history of Taiwan’s great changemakers.
“Accept the Challenge, Keep Moving Forward”, a quote extracted from the documentary, shows the resilience of the Taiwanese engineers while training and working back and forth between the United States of America and their hometowns in Taiwan.
Participating in the programme were the Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) in Malaysia, Encik Mohammad Faisal Bin Abu Suaib Khan; Members of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO), Director of the Information Division, Ms. Candice Lin; and the Deputy Assistant Director, Ms. Karen Huang.
Joining the opening ceremony, the Dean of the AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), Prof. Dr. Hafiz Bin Zakariya, alongside academics and recipients of the Taiwan Academic Fellowship Programme, students of the International Islamic University Malaysia and visiting students from the Department of Political Science and Law, Burapha University, Thailand.
POSSA IIUM, aims for this collaboration between them and TECO, to further explore different sectors of collaborations in education and tourism spheres. This documentary screening in particular aimed to bring political science students’ a visual film, that could potentially bridge the gap between in class learning and real world examples of industries and globalisation, especially with courses like PSCI 3301 International Political Economy & PSCI 4335 BRICS in International Political Economy, that are offered to the students of Political Science here at IIUM.
A Chip Odyssey is a comprehensive documentary that chronicles Taiwan’s remarkable engineering efforts and its rise to global leadership in the semiconductor industry. This documentary is heavily inspired by the stories shared by people at the memorial for semiconductor pioneer Hu Ding-Hwa.
This docu-film encompasses the national mission of Taiwan, the sacrifices of its people, and a collective compilation of stories from early Taiwanese engineers who travelled abroad, mainly the United States of America, to acquire the knowledge deemed necessary for this global economic shift.
To quote the background of this film, ‘By featuring voices ranging from female technicians to policymakers, this film provides layers to history that date alone cannot convey’, the emotions that have become an important tool in the development of this island, show us that even with little resources, having willpower and motivation to achieve the bigger goal can eventually lead us to success. ***
