Taiwan Web Service Corp (TWS, 台灣智慧雲端), a cloud services provider 80-percent owned by Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), launched its first ChatGPT-like application on Wednesday, targeting enterprise users.
Since the launch of Open AI Inc’s ChatGPT last year, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become more popular, Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) said at a product launch at the TWS headquarters in New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) District.
“Seeking AI tools to improve productivity has become a viral phenomenon, triggering a new wave of productivity,” Shih said.
Algorithms, procedures used for solving problems, are widely considered as a major engine to fuel the digital economy, Shih said.
With its first ChatGPT-like product, dubbed Formosa Foundation Model, TWS is Asia's sole cloud-service provider offering enterprise-grade generative AI tools for corporate users, rather than for individual users, Shih said.
The Formosa Foundation Model enables enterprises to analyze data and develop recommendations, two of the most attractive measures for local businesses, TWS chief executive officer Peter Wu (吳漢章) told reporters.
TWS has received positive feedback from potential customers such as telecom operators, retailers, banks, hospitals, law firms and manufacturers, Wu said.
The AI tool can improve productivity for labor-intensive industries, he said.
Aside from the domestic market, the company said there are potential business opportunities in Southeastern Asian nations, and it has approached research institutions, supercomputer centers, enterprises and start-ups in the region over the past 6 months, Wu said.
TWS, a two-year-old start-up company focusing on developing supercomputers, participated in the development of supercomputer Taiwania 3, backed by the National Center for High-Performance Computing.
Asustek’s research team has also been working with Nvidia Corp to develop super computing applications since 2018.
The Formosa Foundation Model would be available from July, Wu said.
The company provides total solutions services from server building to soft-hardware integration, he said.
To raise funds, TWS is planning an initial share offering on the local stock market next year, riding on the popularity of generative AI, Wu said.
TWS has NT$670 million (US$21.78 million) in paid-in capital, more than 200 engineers and six years of experience developing AI technologies, corporate data showed.
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