超前部署的綠色運算
美超微全球總裁兼執行長──梁見後
The Green Computing Vanguard
Supermicro’s Charles Liang
近半甲子來，美超微不僅歷經美國電腦資訊的演進，更掌握全球產業趨勢。2012年洞燭亞洲市場強大潛力，超前部署，返台設廠；2019年再次加碼，擴建大型生產基地，2021年落成啟用。美超微要讓氣勢如虹的成長曲線再創高峰，也將凝聚台灣的資訊產業，締造傲視全球的高效綠化產能，鞏固台灣在亞太經濟圈的經貿實力。
Recognizing the huge potential of the Asian market, Supermicro established a Taiwanese factory in 2012 and enlarged it in 2019. This highly efficient green production capacity came online in 2021, wowing the world and reaffirming Taiwan’s strength as an exporter within the Asia-Pacific region.
幸運背後的努力
「我一直覺得自己很幸運。」美超微電腦公司總裁梁見後，樸實憨厚的笑容背後，背負著無盡的努力與艱辛挑戰。「1993年創業時，大家都不看好。我就是憑著一股信念，要讓美夢成真。」結束了在台灣母校的教職，梁見後在美國矽谷大開眼界。「當時大家都是以價格取勝，但是我覺得品質才是王道。」性格決定命運，而立之年的梁見後，與妻子和好友廖益賢攜手，創立三人公司。在矽谷高成本的壓力下，無畏地走上品質掛帥的鋼索路線。「很幸運地在半年後，我們就轉虧為盈。」
「我對公司的技術，一直很有信心。」科技背景出身的梁見後，把吃苦當作吃補，沒日沒夜地研發改良，用滴水穿石的堅持，就是要把產品品質做到最好。「如果最挑剔的客人都能滿意，那要推展出去，就比較容易了。」梁見後把技術領先的矽谷客戶，所提出各種嚴苛到近乎無理的要求，都視為成長的磨鍊。「當我們在1995年推出世界第一個可搭載兩顆CPU的伺服器主機板，後來又領先做出可搭載四顆CPU的伺服器主機板時，真的是讓那些美國大廠難以相信。」回憶起草創期，在苦楚中創造驕傲，來自南台灣的古意人（閩南語，意為老實人），就是以一股不服輸的毅力，要讓外國人不敢輕忽。
要在巨鷹匯聚的矽谷中拚搏，當時還是小麻雀的美超微，在產量和價格上既然無法與大廠相比，就用多樣少量的客製化服務，樹立品牌和服務口碑。由於其脫穎而出的客製化高階伺服器，2012年的美超微在伺服器與網路儲存設備出貨量上，已達全球市佔率第三。
「速度，也是我們所追求的。」在梁見後的座右銘裡，制勝的關鍵之一，就是用高效的執行力，讓產品在市場上搶得先機。因為當時規模遠遠不及世界大廠，梁見後憑藉的，就是對客戶的機動性即時服務。為了縮短交貨時程，提升效能，美超微以模組化達成目標。「這是我們由建廠就開始落實去做的。」依照每個元件的特性，以及客戶的需求，分門別類地建置不同的模組，不僅能快速滿足客戶的需求，並且因為可以像「樂高」一樣拆解替換，在提升效率的同時，也大幅節省客戶的硬體支出，「因為每個元件使用壽命不同，不必同時更換。」因此大量減少電子廢棄物，在環保議題上也盡到一分心力。抓住環保風向球，美超微身先士卒，一以貫之，永續堅持。而今這個理念，更成為全球伺服器大廠，不可逆轉的世界潮流。「這種積木組合的想法，也是我靈光乍現，沒想到押對了寶，真的做成功了。」梁見後笑著說：「我真的很幸運。」……
The hard work behind “luck”
“I’ve always thought of myself as lucky,” says Charles Liang, who serves as Supermicro’s president and CEO. His broad and genuine smile belies a history of long hours and difficult challenges. “Nobody thought much of our chances when we started the company in 1993, but I stuck to my guns.” Liang left a teaching job at his alma mater in the 1980s to pursue his ambitions in Silicon Valley. “Back then, competition in the industry was all price-based, but I believed that quality was the way forward.” He founded Supermicro with his wife (Sara Liu) and his good friend Wally Liaw. “Fortunately, we were able to turn a profit in just six months.”
“I’ve always had great confidence in the company’s technology.” And Supermicro has always striven to further refine its products to ensure they are the best they can possibly be. “It’s easier to promote your products when you can satisfy the pickiest of customers.” Supermicro serves Silicon Valley’s technology leaders, and Liang believes that these customers’ most demanding and unreasonable requests push his team to up its game. “We really surprised major American manufacturers in 1995 by introducing the world’s first dual-CPU motherboard for servers, and then following it up with the first four-CPU server board.” A plainspoken man from southern Taiwan, Liang has a never-surrender attitude that has earned the respect of his peers.
Supermicro built its business and reputation on a range of low-volume bespoke services. By 2012, its highly regarded customized high-end servers had made it the third largest company in the world in terms of server and network storage device market share.
“We try to be fast on our feet.” Liang explains that Supermicro has succeeded over its rivals in part because its efficient execution gives its products first-mover advantage. The company enhances its efficiency and speeds product delivery by using a building-block architecture. This approach not only helps Supermicro quickly meet customers’ needs, but also greatly reduces those customers’ hardware costs by enabling them to swap out modular components like Lego bricks. “Components have different useful lives. Modularity lets you replace parts that have failed without replacing the whole.” It also reduces electronic waste, which is good for the environment. Quick to recognize the wave of environmental awareness sweeping the globe, Supermicro positioned itself in the environmental vanguard by committing to sustainability. With other major international server manufacturers now also moving towards sustainability, the trend will be unstoppable.
