SINGAPORE: Jason Chang, the chairman of the Taiwan-based ASE Technology Holding, saw his net worth surge amid the AI-driven semiconductor boom.
This means he’s a rising challenger to Li Xiting, whose fortune rose during the Covid-19 pandemic, for the distinction of the wealthiest Singaporean.
According to a report from Forbes, in 2024 and 2025 Mr Chang’s net worth was at US$6.6 billion (approximately S$8.54 billion). This year, it has more than doubled to a whopping US$14.2 billion (S$18.38 billion) because of gains in the value of ASE.
Mr Li’s net worth, meanwhile, is currently at approximately US$8.9 billion (S$11.5 billion). His highest recorded net worth was US$23 billion (S$31 billion) in 2021, as the demand for medical equipment rose due to the pandemic. His company, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronic, provides critical life-saving ventilators, patient monitors, and defibrillators.
However, Mr Chang and Mr Li’s combined fortunes are not equal to the net worth of the richest man in Singapore, Eduardo Saverin, who owns around 2% of Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among others. Mr Saverin’s net worth is around US$43billion (approximately S$58 billion).
Jason Chang and the age of AI
Jason Chang Chien-Sheng, 84, is a citizen of Singapore, but was born in Taiwan. He founded ASE (Advanced Semiconductor Engineering) together with his brother Richard in 1984, when they opened their first factory in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Today, ASE is the leading provider of semiconductor assembly and testing services across the globe. This means the company performs the important testing step between manufacturing chips and putting them into servers, phones, AI accelerators, and other devices.
Additionally, Richard and Jason Chang are among the key investors in commercial real estate developer Sino Horizon. On the back of the AI boom, the brothers have become the richest men in Taiwan.
Incidentally, when Mr Chang was first included among the list of the richest Singaporeans, many were surprised and wondered who he is. This is because, unlike other billionaires such as Mr Saverin or someone like Elon Musk, Mr Chang has kept a relatively low profile. Also, he is based in Taipei. But with the age of AI looking like it’s here to stay, we wouldn’t be surprised to see his fortunes grow even more. /TISG
Read also: Goh Cheng Liang, Li Xiting, and Forrest Li lead Forbes’ Singapore’s richest in 2025; number of SG billionaires rose to 49
