My name is Yu Chiao and I have been a thermal engineer at ASUS for nine years now. The time has gone by so fast! Looking back, I joined the company because ASUS is a famous brand and because I wanted to help develop many innovative systems, as well as to have the chance to explore new technology. And, I think I have gotten much more than I expected.
I’m not just working with new technology, I have also been learning how to incorporate thermodynamics principles into design, as well as what factors need to be taken into account when creating mass produced products. So much planning and detail go into building our products!
There have been many memorable experiences during my time at the company. One in particular has really stuck with me. I was part of the design team for the ASUS foldable notebook — the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. This is a really special product and it was set to be exhibited at CES 2022. However, with the exhibition quickly approaching, there were still a few remaining issues with the new notebook. We had to make sure it was perfect before we sent it off.
When we began our part of the preparation, the project team had only just started to validate the mockup system. Therefore, all the validations weren’t finished yet. This meant that there were many tweaks to be made before we could say the product was fully finalized. But CES was coming up quickly and we needed to make sure the product was ready to wow the world.
It took all our team’s creativity, inventiveness, and hard work to find the right solutions to make that happen. This is when I really appreciated just how incredible our product teams are at ASUS — the pressure we were under motivated us to make the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED even more incredible and it was warmly received at CES.
I love my job, but it is not always easy. The most challenging part of being a thermal engineer is having to execute multiple projects at the same time. During each trial run stage, I ensure the progress of system validation, troubleshooting, and thermal policy adjustment. System validations include system temperature and acoustic measurements. I also cooperate with cross-functional team members on system placement by evaluating the thermal budget using thermal fluids and computational fluid dynamics tools. In addition, I need to cooperate with vendors to design thermal solutions. Thermal policy adjustment includes fan control and main chip power control. And, finally, before the product goes to mass production, I have to review the data sheets and approve the specifics of all thermal solutions. There is often so much to do!
One more thing that I would mention is that I know a lot of people might think it is difficult to be a female engineer who is working in the technology industry. There is the perception that it is very male dominated. But I don’t feel any gender bias at ASUS. We are all treated equally, and the only thing that people care about is your professional knowledge. And, it is the same when I work across departments during my projects, there is no focus on gender, just on creating incredible products. In fact, one of my team leaders is a woman as well. So, I think ASUS is a great place to work, no matter who you are.
I am looking forward to all the incredible projects that I will be working on in the future.
About ASUS
ASUS is a global technology leader that provides the world’s most innovative and intuitive devices, components, and solutions to deliver incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. With its team of 5,000 in-house R&D experts, the company is world-renowned for continuously reimagining today’s technologies. Consistently ranked as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, ASUS is also committed to sustaining an incredible future. The goal is to create a net zero enterprise that helps drive the shift towards a circular economy, with a responsible supply chain creating shared value for every one of us.
