Pan Wan Yuan Foundation named SYNNEX President Evans S. W. Tu a recipient of the Pan Wen Yuan Prize on December 27. The award recognizes Mr. Tu's lifetime achievement in developing and promoting ICT and semiconductor distribution.
The Pan Wen Yuan Prize was created in memory of Dr. Pan Wan Yuan who played a key role in the success of IT industries in Taiwan. Previous recipients of the Pan Wen Yuan Prize include TSMC founder Morris Chang, Delta Electronics founder Bruce Cheng, MediaTek founder Ming-Kai Tsai, Quanta founder Barry Lam, and MiTAC-SYNNEX Group chairman Matthew Miau, all of whom have made significant contributions to the development of IT industries. The panel is chaired by TSMC Charity Foundation chairman F.C. Tseng this year. Other members include former Executive Yuan Premier Chao-Shiuan Liu, Delta Electronics founder Bruce Cheng, former NCTU president Yan-Hwa Wu, former MOEA minister Chii-Ming Yiin, Taoyuan mayor San-Cheng Chang, and CommonWealth Magazine founder Diane Ying.
In his speech on behalf of the foundation, F.C. Tseng described Evans S. W. Tu as an excellent entrepreneur in innovation strategy and precision management. Mr. Tu started his IT career in 1976 and introduced and promoted first Intel microprocessor in Taiwan. He founded SYNNEX in 1988 as well as the idea of specialized distribution channels, which reinvented the hi-tech distribution ecosystem. Mr. Tu is often known as one of the Top 10 Key Figures in the History of Taiwan’s Information Industry Development. The business model was extended to include overseas operations in 1997. The success made SYNNEX one of the few distributors to able to operate globally and currently Asia's largest distribution service provider in IT, communications, consumer electronics and semiconductors.
In his award acceptance speech, Evans S. W. Tu quoted Intel's slogan from the company's early days, "From the Beginning". He recalled when he finished high school and was about to take the university entrance exam, the electronics industry was only starting and faced an uncertain future. Nevertheless, he believed his calling was in the electronics industry and listed only related programs in his choices. When he was close to finishing his mandatory military service, Mr. Tu heard that Intel was able to put an entire computer on an IC chip (i.e. a microprocessor). His belief in the potential of microprocessors led him to join MiTAC where he started as an engineer and worked his way up to the promotion of distribution channels, and in a blink of an eye, he has been an active part of this industry for 45 years. Looking back, the years felt like a long tunnel with a dim light at the end. It was not clear how far the electronics industry could go, but belief kept him holding fast to a field that resembled a desert at the time. Fortunately, it has grown into a massive industry today.
The great thing about the electronics industry is that there is always a technological breakthrough every 10 years or so. These breakthroughs enable applications on different levels, which keep things interesting in this business. There are always innovations and opportunities waiting to be created and explored. He considers himself lucky to be in such a great industry. He also believes that Taiwan's semiconductors and ICT industries can achieve greater growth and be the best in the world.