Alphabet Inc’s Google yesterday announced a large investment in Taiwan’s artificial intelligence (AI) development, saying it would hire at least 300 AI engineers, cultivate 5,000 talents and train more than 50,000 digital marketing personnel this year.
The company’s AI investment in Taiwan is by far the largest from an international tech company, following Microsoft Corp’s launch of an AI research and development (R&D) center and Amazon Web Services’ joint innovative center at the beginning of this year.
“Taiwan is already Google’s largest R&D center in Asia and it has strong software, hardware and cloud-computing teams — the core elements to develop AI technology. We expect Taiwan to become Google’s global strategic center for AI in the long term,” Google Taiwan managing director Chien Lee-feng (簡立峰) told a media conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The 300 new vacancies range from positions in software, hardware, cloud-computing and data center engineers to administration management, Chien said.
Google is to carry out the phase-four expansion plan at its data center in Changhua County later this year, he added.
“It is by far Google’s largest recruitment drive in Taiwan,” Chien said.
“The recruitment and the expanded data center represent Google’s commitment to investment in Taiwan in the long term and our plan to commence many AI projects here,” he added.
Google’s initiative, dubbed “Intelligent Taiwan,” includes holding AI innovation boot camps in collaboration with National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, National Chiao Tung University and National Cheng Kung University.
Students recommended by these universities are to join a five-day event this summer with the opportunity to have face-to-face discussions with Google’s global AI professionals, Chien said, adding that the boot camps are important, as Taiwanese students have developed a foundation in advanced technologies, but lack the opportunity to interact with global professionals.
Google said it would convene boot camps to share the company’s Machine Learning Crash Course with college professors, high-school teachers and seed instructors at the Institute for Information Industry in a bid to help Taiwan accelerate the popularization of AI education.
Google said it has also translated its free online digital marketing course into Chinese for small and medium-sized enterprises, jobseekers and students, and is to launch an offline one-year course on digital marketing in Taichung and Tainan this year.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS