By Teh Kuan Hong
TAIPEI, July 25 (Bernama) -- Taiwan, which has been known as a powerhouse in the global semiconductor industry, is now setting artificial intelligence (AI) into motion to further strengthen the island nation's economic capability in the global supply chain.
This followed newly-minted Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's inaugural address on May 20 this year who said the country needs to level up from a “silicon island” into an AI island, adopting AI into the industry and stepping up the pace of AI innovation and applications.
Taiwan's high-ranking government officials also spoke unanimously on the matter when met by an international press group comprising 13 journalists from 12 countries currently on a tour hosted by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the island's global supply chain sector.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Dr Lin Chia-lung said as such, the government's foreign policy which includes three pillars, namely democracy, peace and prosperity, will be part and parcel in the effort to further deepen economic diplomacy, including AI adoption.
"We will strengthen our diplomatic relations, particularly with ally countries and like-minded nations which share our values," he said in a meeting during a courtesy call by the press group to the MOFA complex here recently, which was also attended by the director-general of the Department of International Information Services, MOFA, Catherine Hsu.
According to data provided by Taiwan's Industrial Development Administration (IDA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the island nation ranked second in the world after the US in global semiconductor production last year.
Taiwan's well-known semiconductor companies include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), Mediatek and ASE Group, where their customers are global tech giants such as Apple, AMD, NVIDIA and Qualcomm.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang said TSMC is already producing the world's most advanced semiconductor chips for AI usage, positioning Taiwan as one of the best nations in Asia to spread the application of AI.
"With AI expected to remain a major driver of the worldwide semiconductor industry, the government is committed to promoting Taiwan as an AI island by establishing AI as the second economic driver," he said.
With a similar sentiment, Taiwan's National Development Council Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey said Taiwan not only relies on the semiconductor industry but also leverages the power of AI to help industries such as smart medicine, innovative finance and retail to embark on their digital transformation.
Kao said in addition, Taiwan's export of electronic components as well as the ICT industry combined exceeded 60 per cent of its total export volume.
"As such, Taiwan will have to achieve balanced development across all sectors for the next four years," she said.
The group also visited Taiwan Textile Federation, Delta Electronics and Hsinchu Science Park during the first two days of the tour.
However, the tour was temporarily halted due to Typhoon Gaemi, with Taiwan declaring a typhoon holiday on Wednesday and Thursday (July 24 and 25).
According to international reports, Gaemi made landfall on Taiwan's east coast late Wednesday night, causing schools and offices, as well as the commercial sector to close for two days.
Three people were killed by strong winds and heavy rain brought on by the typhoon, as well as temporarily displacing at least 8,000 people across the island.
Based on the latest typhoon sea and land warning issued by the Taiwan Central Weather Administration, as of 11.30 am today, the typhoon's centre was approximately 140 km south of Matsu (Lienchiang County), moving at 11 km per hour with a radius of 250 km.
-- BERNAMA
