Despite a global slowdown in demand for consumer electronics and PCs, Taiwanese companies are expanding into the artificial intelligence (AI) market and are this week showcasing their innovations at the Computex trade fair in Taipei.
The companies are highlighting AI applications, high-performance computing, next-generation connectivity, hyper-reality, innovations and sustainability at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s halls 1 and 2.
With the growing popularity of chatbots and the anticipated demand for generative AI, Taiwanese companies making hardware and components related to the AI sector include chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電); chip designer Global Unichip Corp (創意電子); cloud-based server makers Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦), Wiwynn Corp (緯穎科技) and Inventec Corp (英業達); hardware assemblers Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Pegatron Corp (和碩); and server chassis manufacturer Chenbro Micom Co (勤誠興業), Chinese-language media reported.
Photo: Lin Chin-hua, Taipei Times
Other firms seeking opportunities to capitalize on the AI wave include heat-dissipation parts suppliers Jentech Precision Industrial Co (健策精密), Auras Technology Co (雙鴻科技) and Asia Vital Components Co (奇鋐科技), as well as communications and networking solutions providers Accton Technology Corp (智邦科技) and Alpha Networks Inc (明泰科技), reports said.
Computex, one of the world’s biggest computer and technology trade shows, is to open tomorrow and run through Friday. The event is estimated to bring together 1,000 exhibiting companies from 22 countries, occupying 3,000 booths, said the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會), one of the event’s coorganizers.
Major Taiwanese tech firms, such as Acer Inc (宏碁電腦), Adata Technology Co (威剛科技), Asrock Inc (華擎科技), Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), BenQ Corp (明基), Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), Gigabyte Technology Corp (技嘉科技), Micro-Star International Co (微星科技), Realtek Semiconductor Corp (瑞昱半導體), Transcend Information Inc (創見資訊) and Aten International Co Ltd (宏正自動科技), would feature their latest innovations at the trade fair, TAITRA said.
Computex is also hosting a series of talks and forums on innovations in AI and high-performance computing, with several chief executive officers and senior executives from global tech giants sharing insights on industry issues, TAITRA said.
US-based graphics processing unit designer Nvidia Corp founder and chief executive Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) is today scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on advanced developments in the fields of accelerated computing and AI, TAITRA said.
British chip designer Arm Ltd chief executive Rene Haas would today deliver a keynote speech, titled “Defining the Future of Computing, Together,” while Qualcomm Technologies Inc senior vice presidents Alex Katouzian and Kedar Kondap are tomorrow to speak about how the company is enabling key AI technologies to run on devices during an era of intelligent computing, TAITRA said.
Other speakers include Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors NV executive vice president Rafael Sotomayor, Acer chairman and chief executive Jason Chen (陳俊聖), Asustek cochief executive Samsun Hu (胡書賓) and Super Micro Computer Inc founder and chairman Charles Liang (梁見後), it said.
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Starbucks Corp might have the more recognizable name, but 7-Eleven’s City Cafe remains the king of Taiwan’s fresh coffee market, helped by the convenience store chain’s extensive market presence and product diversification. President Chain Store Corp (PCSC, 統一超商), which runs both the 7-Eleven and Starbucks store chains in Taiwan, established the City Cafe brand in 2004. The brand took off when actress Gwei Lun-mei (桂綸鎂) became its spokesperson in 2007. City Cafe’s sales exceeded NT$10 billion (US$311.69 million) for the first time in 2015, surpassing the revenue of Starbucks Taiwan, and rose to more than NT$17 billion last year, exceeding the NT$14.98