Microsoft Corp has agreed to partner with Taiwan to develop hardware standards and sample applications for mixed reality (MR) technology, Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) said on Saturday.
Tang, who oversees digital affairs, said on Facebook that she on Thursday and Friday last week led a delegation to visit Microsoft’s headquarters in Seattle, where she met with Microsoft senior vice president David Ku (古卓倫) and other high-level executives.
Microsoft is to contribute its MR technology, which combines augmented and virtual realities, while Taiwan would contribute its information and communication technology supply chain, she said.
Microsoft would give Taiwan access to many technologies, including its chatbot, robotic process automation and cognitive services, to help expedite Taiwan’s digital transformation, she said.
The company is also willing to explore 5G development with Taiwan, particularly for live streaming, smart city and smart manufacturing applications, she added.
Microsoft, which in January decided to establish an artificial intelligence center in Taiwan, has been heavily recruiting local talent.
The company is also partnering with chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) to develop Internet of Things solutions.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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