Lite-On

Founded in 1975 by former Texas Instruments engineers, it was one of the first dedicated semiconductor and electronics firms in Taiwan. Lite-On became one of the world's largest makers of optical drives — burners that went out under many different badge names through OEM deals.

Its range reaches far beyond discs: LEDs, power supplies, camera modules and circuit boards. Much of what Lite-On builds never appears under its own name, sitting instead inside other companies' products — the kind of invisible infrastructure that keeps consumer electronics running. The optical drive division was wound down as demand collapsed.