Liberty Times (LT): The government has recently earmarked railways, “green” energy, water resources and digital technology as the main targets of the NT$880 billion [US$29.01 billion] “Forward-looking Infrastructure Construction Project.” What is the ministry’s role in the project? Which items will have priority funding?
Chen Liang-gee (陳良基): The ministry’s role is to be a trailblazer and scout for technology, particularly for digital infrastructure.
The ubiquity of digital technology in everyday appliances, such as TVs and cell phones, is evidence of the broad range of applications for digital technology, as well as the inevitability of its rise.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
However, Taiwan’s technology infrastructure is stuck in the analog age; there is a severe lack of digital technology equipment in elementary and high schools and no funds earmarked to upgrade from analog to digital.
Therefore, I have gone out of my way to suggest to the Cabinet and the president that funding should be allocated to improve the situation.
I have allotted NT$46 billion for the improvement of schools’ digital facilities. Many may question the necessity of such a large figure, as well as the inclusion of the funds in the “special budget” category.
Scientific development in Taiwan has lacked direction and leadership since the turn of the millennium. Since the bursting of the dotcom bubble, some nations have advanced swiftly into the domain of digital technology, but Taiwan is not among them.
There is too little innovation in Taiwan and its industries have not upgraded; Taiwan is behind the times.
The magnitude of the proposed spending, and its allocation as a special budget, is to make up for the drop-off in digital technology infrastructure in the nation; inclusion of such budgets in annual budgets would take far too long, and would cause the nation to fall further behind, due to the speed of development of digital technology.
I have stressed that artificial intelligence (AI) is an important trend that would help Taiwanese society progress over the coming one or two decades, but in the process, Taiwan needs to develop platforms with high-speed computing capability.
The nation must possess machines capable of performing at least at petaflop level, which is currently 1 trillion times the computing power of Taiwan’s fastest machine.
One such machine would cost NT$700 million to NT$800 million, and Taiwan, for academic research and industrial use, would require six or more such machine clusters to enable the development of an AI platform.
I have allotted NT$5 billion to establish the AI platform. This would provide young people a niche to shine, and would allow Taiwan to once again become internationally competitive.
The key question of the upgrades planned for Taiwan’s digital technology infrastructure is the matter of power sources. Taiwanese society has achieved a consensus to reduce its reliance on nuclear power, and as such, it must quickly find an alternative source of “renewable” energy.
The ministry has devoted nine years of research and planning into the National Energy Program, and has referenced the “green” energy approaches of many European nations, but has not acted yet.
If the digital technology infrastructure plan is to be a success, both green energy and water resources, two other staples of the infrastructure project with a combined budget of NT$330 billion, need urgent attention.
The securing of both resources must be expedited via special budgets and legislation, for if the nation is to allocate funding on an annual basis, Taiwan cannot compete in scientific research internationally.
LT: With regards to rumors that some industries might be considering moving out of Taiwan, what methods are you looking at to persuade them to stay?
Chen:While water, power and land are important to traditional businesses, the scientific industry is more centered on talent and technology.
Taking the semi-conductor industry for example, talent is highly sought after, but as Acer Co founder Stan Shih (施振榮) said: “Taiwan is not without talents, but lacks the required stage on which to display them.”
The proposed infrastructure project hopes to provide such a platform in the next decade to two decades. With the focus on establishing AI — and even hopes of establishing a 5G wireless network for faster Internet of Things applications — there would be a great need for high-speed computing equipment. This demand would in turn call for large quantities of chips, and would, over all, create many new opportunities for young people.
Although many young Taiwanese have studied abroad, the subjects they study are too diverse and lack a strategic focus.
To rectify the situation, the ministry contacted Taiwanese both in Taiwan and in Silicon Valley to set up internships involving 50 to 100 doctoral students to be trained in research, manufacturing processes and in the oversight of mass-manufacturing and marketing strategies.
Once these workers return to Taiwan, they would be of significant help to leading Taiwan enter new areas of research.
The ministry is also looking to narrow the gaping divide between academia and the private sector. The end goal is to connect academia with industry, ensuring that both sectors would be able benefit each other and allow scientific research to gain value through commerce.
Therefore, from the perspective of talent, Taiwan Semiconductor Co (TSMC) should put Taiwan at the head of its list of locations to set up factories.
Second, in terms of technical specialties, the ministry also seeks to more effectively promote research that would directly aid industries in upgrading capabilities.
Taking semiconductors as an example again, all the businesses in the sector are competing to be the first to make 3-nanometer chips. While there is relevant research, actual technology for mass production is still far away. In the meantime, other technical innovations that have been proposed by academia could be mass-produced.
In that case, the ministry should then act as the filter for industry and target specific products that could viably be mass-produced.
LT: The development of industry rests on the foundation of scientific research. However, in recent years, there have been signs that patent applications from academia have been on the decline. What are the ministry’s plans to turn theoretical research into commercial value?
Chen: Over the past decade, the Ministry of Education’s Top-Notch Universities Project and the Ministry of Science and Technology’s (MOST) research grants review have treated the amount of articles published and patents application requests as the focus of academia.
Taiwan is the world leader in patents and articles published if the ratio to its population is considered, but despite that it has not led to a new generation of industrial leaders.
This shows that the nation has made the wrong choices forthe research conducted and they are only temporary goals, not end goals.
Taking Apple Inc’s research as an example, what patents should be pursued ought to be based on what products one wishes to promote. The lesson is that the number of patents is irrelevant; after all products that are discarded do not need patents.
Universities and researchers must adjust their modes of thought. It is not just the sheer quantity of papers published, but whether the topics of such papers would be of help in ensuring the future of Taiwanese society.
Researchers’ papers should help reduce investment risks to the management teams of businesses. Using TSMC as an example, it has devoted more than NT$10 billion to just one investment. The MOST must also help filter research to help reduce the risk of failing investments.
Changes to MOST grants would begin by shifting the focus from the number of articles published and patents applied for to whether the research is of true and practical help for the nation’s society and industries. Such a shift would also be welcomed by the majority of taxpayers.
A proportion of MOST funding would be used to encourage green energy, a must for Taiwanese industry, and also for the establishment of digital technology infrastructure. Another proportion would go toward practical assessment of what research would have actual potential for social applications.
Basic research, which has before been considered unpopular, but might be revolutionary in its theory might also be chosen for further study to better orient and pave the way for Taiwan’s future industry and technology.
Translated by Staff writer Jake Chung
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