The National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) has recruited a former IBM Corp engineer to lead its National Center for High-Performance Computing as part of plans to boost development of artificial intelligence and information security technologies, NARL president Wang Yeong-her (王永和) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks at an annual media event in Taipei attended by the agency’s officials.
Center director-general Shieh Ce-kuen said he is to conclude his term at the end of this month and return to National Cheng Kung University, and Wang said Shepherd Shi (史曉斌) would succeed him next month.
Photo courtesy of the National Applied Research Laboratories
The NARL is also to sign a memorandum of understanding later this year with the Australian National Fabrication Facility, and host Israeli experts on information security and space technology during their visits to Taiwan, Wang said.
Asked if the NARL would follow the Industrial Technology Research Institute’s move to block cellphones and computers made by Huawei Technologies Co (華為) from connecting to its internal network, Wang said it has already set up firewalls and has not purchased key instruments developed by China.
While the NARL has not banned employees from using Chinese cellphones in the workplace, Wang reminded employees of the security risks they pose.
The center has been monitoring and combating cyberattacks on academic networks, Shieh said, adding that it has observed an increase in the spread of fake news.
However, it is hard to track Chinese hackers, as they often make detours, he added.
While banning products made in China is almost impossible, the government should at least avoid using Chinese equipment in public utility systems, such as those for electricity, fuel, railway and water supplies, Shieh said.
The NARL last year completed a reshuffle, closing its Taiwan Typhoon and Flood Research Institute and establishing the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute by merging two agencies — the chip implementation center and nano device laboratory.
The semiconductor institute has started operations, with its inauguration scheduled for the end of this month, Wang said, adding that other research centers are also in the works.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
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