Kaohsiung: Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, currently leading a delegation to the United States, visited several prominent American technology companies on Wednesday, including Google and AT and T in Silicon Valley. The purpose of these visits was to explore potential cooperation opportunities, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor development, as stated by the Kaohsiung City government. According to Focus Taiwan, Chen's delegation also made a visit to MSS USA, a subsidiary of the Taiwan-based semiconductor material analysis firm MSS Corp., as well as the Hoover Institution. This effort aims to not only foster collaboration with U.S. companies but also to enhance Kaohsiung's international presence. Discussions during the visits included exchanges on geopolitics and energy security, with an emphasis on ensuring that Kaohsiung's industrial development can adapt smoothly to the rapidly changing global environment. During his meeting at the Hoover Institution, Mayor Chen enga ged with political scientist Larry Diamond and senior researcher David Fedor, focusing on global supply chain resilience and energy policies amid rising geopolitical tensions. The statement highlighted that Chen and Diamond had previously initiated a dialogue on democratic values and industrial cooperation during Diamond's 2025 visit to Kaohsiung. In the current U.S. trip, Diamond played a role in facilitating a memorandum of understanding signed on March 12 among Kaohsiung, Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, and the U.S. state of Arizona to establish a trilateral semiconductor partnership. Mayor Chen also promoted Kaohsiung's "sovereign AI" initiative during a meeting with Google's AI research and development team. This initiative seeks to integrate Google's resources into city governance, enabling AI-driven inference to guide transportation systems and other public policies. Furthermore, plans to collaborate with Google's Project Green Light are underway to enhance smart transportation, aiming to optimize traffi c signal timing to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. In discussions with AT and T, Chen explored ways to advance the city's "Smart Lighthouse Project," which is focused on enabling low-latency communications. Earlier in the week, Chen promoted this project on the sidelines of the Nvidia GTC in San Jose, California, seeking partnerships with global technology firms. Mayor Chen began his U.S. visit on March 11 and is expected to return to Taiwan on March 20.