The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) yesterday said it is collaborating with local firms to incubate at least three start-ups within the next two to three years by transferring its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technological know-how.
As the information technology industry continues to evolve, the institute — the cradle of the nation’s technology firms, including Apple Inc chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) — has envisioned a new role for itself: assisting the local manufacturing sector in transforming into a valued-added service provider.
To enhance competitiveness in the industry, the institute plans “to speed up and deepen its partnerships with local companies, schools and global peers through a new cocreation approach,” ITRI president Liu Jonq-min (劉仲明) told a media briefing.
The institute aims to create small start-ups with local companies or schools to bring new technologies to the market, Liu said.
The institute plans to create an incubator environment similar to Silicon Valley at its newly inaugurated Innovation Park by linking it with National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University, as well as the Hsinchu Science Park, he added.
“We hope to create a unique environment and ecosystem in Hsinchu to help rapidly solicit good talent and resources for the formation of an innovation research and development cluster,” Liu said. “With nerds and rich people, two elements for the creation of start-ups, we believe Hsinchu has the potential to become another Silicon Valley.”
Initially, three start-ups are to be formed over the next two to three years, the institute said, adding that they would be small firms with 20 to 30 workers.
The institute expects to create the first start-up by the end of next year to provide “intelligent” seawater desalination systems that monitor the consumption of water and cleaning chemicals through the use of deep learning technology it has developed, ITRI vice president Liu Chun-ting (劉軍廷) said.
Advantech Co Ltd (研華), the nation’s biggest industrial computer maker, and water nano filtration supplier New Micropore Inc (新長豐) are to join the project, the institute said.
About 15 other companies are to join the cocreation project targeting different fields, including autonomous cars, it said.
Two potential start-ups are a maker of an AI recognition system for diabetic retinal eye screening and a provider of 3D printing services for medical use, it added.
The institute said it expects revenue from technology transfers and cooperation with local firms to jump from NT$5 billion (US$166.7 million at the current exchange rate) last year to NT$6 billion, exceeding its annual target of NT$5.5 billion.
That would represent about 30 percent of the institute’s annual revenue, which this year totaled NT$20 billion, it added.
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