The Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday hailed the nation’s “top 10 coolest technology start-ups” — five of which are developing artificial intelligence (AI) — and said that their aggregate funding has reached US$608 million.
The 10 start-ups were selected out of 122 candidates by 22 industrial experts and investors, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hsu Yu-chin (許有進) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that the ministry hoped to inspire innovation in local businesses with the selection.
The AI developers in the list are Appier Inc (沛星互動科技), CloudMile Ltd (萬里雲互聯), MoBagel Inc (行動貝果), Umbo CV (盾心科技) and Viscovery Pte Ltd (創意引睛).
The nation’s cumulative strength in local industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, integrated circuit (IC) design and “smart” machines paves the way for it to participate in the booming AI industry, Hsu said, adding that AI is also the key to the nation’s industrial upgrade.
CloudMile is Google Cloud Platform’s only partner in Asia and its new AI technology for fabric recognition has been introduced in the local textile industry, company founder and executive director Spencer Liu (劉永信) said.
Electric scooter maker Gogoro Inc (睿能創意) and “smart” helmet maker Jarvish’s (酷設工坊) products were heralded as outstanding examples of Internet of Things (IOT) technology.
Despite some people’s doubts about electric vehicles, sales of Gogoro scooters have reached 60,000 over the past three years, company project manager Jason Lin (林立生) said, adding that the vehicles’ accumulated mileage amounts to 322 million kilometers — or 5,000 trips around the Earth.
The remaining three start-ups that were honored are iStaging Corp (愛實境), a developer of augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) applications, and digital medical service suppliers Maisense Inc (美盛醫電) and Health2Sync Co (智抗糖).
In June, the ministry would open a “business incubator base” at the Taipei Arena, named the Taiwan Tech Arena, at which foreign incubators are to help local entrepreneurs explore new business models, Hsu added.
French Tech Taiwan, one of France’s overseas technological hubs, has agreed to enter the base, French Office in Taipei Director Benoit Guidee said on Wednesday, adding that Taiwan and Franceshould increase collaboration on technology.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
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