Taipei: The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced its collaboration with leading global tech companies, including Qualcomm Technologies Inc., Microsoft Corp., IBM, and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), to foster artificial intelligence (AI) talent development in Taiwan. The initiative aims to strengthen Taiwan’s AI capabilities by expanding the talent pool and upgrading technologies.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lin Jiunn-shiow, director-general of MODA’s Administration of Digital Industries, emphasized the importance of international partnerships in introducing cutting-edge AI tools to Taiwan. These efforts are intended to propel the country’s AI software and technology development, building on Taiwan’s history of hardware innovation. Lin highlighted that talent is essential for establishing a robust AI infrastructure.
ST Liew, vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm Taiwan and South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, noted the transformative impact of generative AI across various sectors worldwide. He stressed the necessity of cultivating sufficient talent for Taiwan to remain competitive in the AI era, as both public and private sectors contribute to achieving economies of scale in AI development. Liew expressed a vision for Taiwan to evolve from a semiconductor hub to an AI powerhouse.
Sean Pien, general manager of Microsoft Taiwan, shared that since 2020, Microsoft Taiwan has trained approximately 200,000 professionals through its digital talent cultivation campaign. However, he acknowledged the evolving demands of the AI era, indicating that current efforts are insufficient to meet industry needs. Pien emphasized that nurturing talent is a crucial first step in this new era.
Nelson Lee, general manager of IBM Taiwan, pointed out that beyond talent cultivation, businesses must become “AI ready” across diverse fields such as culture, governance, and technology platforms to achieve greater success. Lin Chien-cheng, senior vice general manager of AMD Taiwan, mentioned the company’s launch of diverse and open AI development platforms, enabling industries to tailor AI solutions to their specific needs.
Local AI innovation communities like Apache Taipei, GitHub Star, WordPress, and idealNCU have collaborated with MODA to advance AI talent and technology development. MODA revealed that Apache Taipei plans to establish a new branch in October, focusing on cultivating open-source software engineers in Taiwan. This initiative aims to strengthen connections between Taiwan’s open-source groups and their global counterparts.