Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Thursday last week announced that the government aims to attract NT$3 trillion to NT$4 trillion (US$91.36 billion to US$121.81 billion) in domestic and foreign investment to promote national development, including cultivating 200,000 talented people in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has given Nvidia Corp the green light to set up its first AI innovation and research and development (R&D) center in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖). Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) last month said that his company would within five years set up a second R&D center in Taiwan that would employ thousands of engineers.
Taiwan needs to quickly establish a national-level R&D center for AI. This is not about being trendy, but about having to keep up with global trends, because AI’s fourth industrial revolution cannot be resisted.
Many universities, including National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Cheng Kung University, National Central University, National Taiwan Ocean University, Chang Gung University and Soochow University, have established AI R&D centers, some of which have been established under the guidance of the National Science and Technology Council.
The problem is that these universities, for the most part, act independently of one another and put themselves first. After achieving good results, some of their students study further in the US. In effect, Taiwan is cultivating talent for the US. It is no wonder the US is so strong in this field, and Taiwan is weak.
Although Taiwan has the world’s strongest foundation in computer hardware, its software talent is scattered. When foreigners see how a robot can beat some of the top chess and go players, they ask who designed those robots, with an eye to poaching them, only to find out that they are Taiwanese. Taiwan does not cherish them, but simply sits by and watches them get poached by foreign companies. Will Taipei also watch big US companies come to Taiwan to conduct research and poach talent?
That is why Taiwan urgently needs to establish a national AI research center.
AI plays an important role in industry, transportation, medical care, the Internet of Things, finance, long-term care, mobile phones and the services industries. It even plays a decisive role in aerospace and military affairs. If Taiwan had thousands of drones and fighter jets, it would not have to rely on powerful nations militarily or pay them protection money.
Almost every kind of business lies within the firing range of AI. In the future, medical diagnosis by robots would not be a dream, while battles might resemble those in Star Wars. Humans and AI are likely to work together in business, industry and everyday life.
Those who do not understand AI would be in a bad situation. If you do not use AI, others will, and you are highly likely to be eliminated.
The government has established the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center in Chiayi County. It should also establish a national AI R&D center that could become a secret weapon for launching Taiwan’s new economic miracle. Such a center could attract outstanding local and foreign talent, and offer high salaries to ensure they remain in service of the nation.
The center could cooperate with universities’ AI R&D centers and industrial partners, especially AI-related firms, and communicate and share information with major US firms in Taiwan.
With the strength of major hardware manufacturers, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, and software and hardware talent, along with coordination with industrial partners and exchanges with major US companies and government backing, Taiwan could achieve its dream of becoming the AI center of Southeast Asia and even the whole world.
When that day comes, who would dare bully Taiwan?
Chuang Sheng-rong is a lawyer and former delegate of the National Assembly.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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