Two brothers built a packaging company around the part of chips most people never see: ASE’s story
Brothers Jason Chang and Richard Chang established Advanced Semiconductor Engineering in 1984 and opened the company’s first factory in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
ASE focused on semiconductor assembly and packaging, the stage that protects a fabricated die, connects it electrically and prepares it for use in an electronic system.
The early business looks very different from the company visible today. Following the milestones in order shows which decisions changed ASE Group’s direction and which capabilities remained constant.
Testing became the second half of the back-end business
ASE entered semiconductor testing in 1990 through the acquisition of ASE Test. Packaging and testing together allowed the company to provide a more complete outsourced back-end manufacturing service.
In semiconductor and electronics markets, this kind of capability compounds over time. Manufacturing know-how, yields, supplier relationships and process experience are difficult to recreate quickly, so each generation can strengthen the next.
Overseas factories turned Kaohsiung expertise into a global network
ASE established packaging and test operations in Malaysia and later expanded through acquisitions and facilities across Asia and other regions.
In semiconductor and electronics markets, this kind of capability compounds over time. Manufacturing know-how, yields, supplier relationships and process experience are difficult to recreate quickly, so each generation can strengthen the next.
Flip-chip and system assembly widened the technology stack
The company moved into advanced packaging such as flip chip while acquiring control of Universal Scientific Industrial to add board- and system-level electronics manufacturing.
The transaction mattered because it changed the shape of ASE Group rather than simply adding revenue. It brought additional technology, customers, geographic reach or operating capability into the group and influenced the next stage of its strategy.
The 2018 SPIL combination created ASE Technology Holding
ASE and Siliconware Precision Industries completed the formation of ASE Technology Holding in 2018, bringing two major Taiwanese semiconductor packaging and test companies under one listed holding structure.
For ASE Group, access to public markets was more than a branding milestone. It increased financial transparency and created another route to fund expansion, acquisitions or long-term product development.
Packaging moved from an afterthought to a performance technology
As of 18 September 2026, aSE is now a major outsourced semiconductor assembly and test provider with additional electronics manufacturing capabilities. Advanced packaging has become even more strategically important as AI accelerators combine multiple dies and high-bandwidth memory inside increasingly complex packages.
For readers following the brand today, the history explains why newer announcements often connect back to technology or business decisions made much earlier.
For TechnologyBlog.co.za, this page is intended to serve as the company-history cornerstone for future ASE Group coverage, so product and company-news articles can link back to one factual brand background instead of repeating the full origin story.
Primary sources checked include ASE’s official milestones timeline. Information reflects public material available on 18 September 2026. Official company identity cross-checked against http://www.aseglobal.com.
