There was once a country which, in 1982, decided that it wanted to have a semiconductor industry and announced a 'Semiconductor Industry Promotion Plan'.
Government-financed R&D was made available, access to low-cost loans from the World Bank was facilitated, special privileges and government grants were offered.
The leading semiconductor company in the country did something which had never been done before. It simultaneously built factories for three successive generations of memory chips.
Eleven years on from the Semiconductor Promotion Plan, in 1993, the company made it into the world semiconductor top ten.
The company's chairman announced that the company's intention was to become the world's No.1 chip company and hold that position for 100 years.
So far it hasn't achieved the first of those ambitions. But it is No.2.
MORAL: Think Big
Taiwan
No, Bruce, it was Korea - Samsung
I joined Samsung from NEC in the mid nineties, it was quite amazing how aggressively they were pursuing that goal, and it was quite amazing to visit Kiheung for the first time - what a site, and what a sight! 18,000 employees, dormitories, fabs, R&D building with serious security, a whole infrastructure building up on the outskirts of the site to service the employees and their families! That was just one of three sites. Very impressive.