Meta Platforms Inc yesterday launched Asia’s first physical hub for extended reality (XR) research in Taiwan, as Facebook’s parent company seeks to promote the immersive technologies.
At the “Meta XR Hub Taiwan” launch ceremony in Taipei, Meta head of agency for greater China Stephanie Chu (朱怡靜) described Taiwanese partners as an important cornerstone of technological development.
“Today marks another milestone of Meta’s establishment in Taiwan, and [the company] will work with Taiwanese partners to create the next generation of social technology,” Chu said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Taiwan is to play a huge part in the metaverse, Meta chief product officer Chris Cox said in a video presentation at the event.
Taiwan’s ability to build hardware and establish public infrastructure is unparalleled, and it has many outstanding creators, artists, researchers and developers engaged in the development of technologies and applications, he said.
As augmented reality and virtual reality flourish, Taiwan would not only become an important stronghold for the metaverse team, but also a key hub for driving global innovations, he added.
American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk said that by establishing the XR Hub in Taipei, “Meta is demonstrating its belief that Taiwan will play a key role in the rapidly evolving metaverse industry.”
“Taiwan is a central node of the globe’s semiconductor ecosystem and a cutting-edge pioneer on emerging technologies like hardware-software integration, chipsets, processors, 5G and Wi-Fi 6,” Oudkirk said.
Taiwanese developers and artists have also won global awards for creating virtual reality content, she said, and “these are all essential elements in the metaverse.”
The XR hub in Taiwan is to collaborate with Taiwantrade to establish a platform in which people can digitally engage with each other, so that trade exhibitions would not be just limited to a physical or online event.
Taiwantrade is an interactive electronic business portal operated by the government-sponsored Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at the ceremony that the government would work hard to build a better environment for the development of the digital economy and expressed hope that Meta can continue to expand its investments in Taiwan.
Tsai said that the metaverse taking root in Taiwan would help drive local communication technology development and innovative applications, and prompt more companies to accelerate their participation in the metaverse.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
RSS