This August, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), in partnership with U.S. tech multinational Cisco Systems, announced the launch of a 5G “open lab.” The initiative creates a platform where Taiwanese suppliers can apply to develop a range of 5G-related hardware and software, including small-cell base stations, IoT devices, and network switches, via Cisco’s cloud-based…

A massive social housing program is viewed as the means for the Taipei municipal to build an integrated smart city.    The development of smart housing– utilizing Taiwan’s strengths in the ICT (information and communications technology) sector – is central to the Taipei City government’s blueprint for the future. The plan also matches the national government’s…

Major multinationals are engaging in research and training programs in Taiwan. How can Taiwan’s highly successful – but low margin – contract electronics manufacturing prowess be leveraged to create innovative brand leaders as higher-margin “internet of things” (IoT) businesses? That is the ambitious task given to the government’s Asia Silicon Valley Development Agency (ASVDA) as…

Although advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) more often make headlines for their potential as job killers, Taiwan is looking avidly at these burgeoning new technology industries as job creators and key to the continued success of its vast Information Technology (IT) sector. IT products including semiconductors and electronic…

Few technological advances have gained the world’s attention like the Internet of Things (IoT), defined by global analytics firm IDC as “a network of uniquely identifiable ‘things’ that communicate without human interaction using IP connectivity.” Some 13 billion connected devices are already in operation, used mostly in manufacturing, transportation, smart cities, and consumer applications, and…

The major new development is creation of Taiwania Capital Management, a government-backed venture-capital operation. Among the seven industries targeted in the government’s “5+2 Industrial Innovation Program,” the one starting with the strongest foundation is smart machinery. Overall machinery production value this year could break the NT$1 trillion (about US$33 billion) mark for the first time,…