A prototype of Taiwan’s first locally built submarine is set to begin testing in September, marking a milestone in the nation’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program, CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船) chairman Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文隆) said yesterday.
The construction of the prototype has continued around the clock after overcoming a series of difficulties thanks to the cooperation of the Naval Shipbuilding Development Center, the navy’s 256th Submarine Squadron and a CSBC task force, Cheng said.
The government has allocated a NT$49.36 billion (US$1.61 billion) budget over seven years (2019 to 2025) to build a prototype, hoping to launch an indigenous submarine building program that would make Taiwan less dependent on other nations to procure the vessels.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
More than 40 percent of the submarine, including its airtight doors, water conversion system, hydraulic system and silent air-conditioning system, is being manufactured locally, a source familiar with the program said.
Currently, six hull sections have been completed, with only the sail cover section left to be completed, the source said, adding that the ultimate goal is for a submarine cluster to take root in Taiwan so more submarines can be built.
Some “red zone” technologies beyond Taiwan’s submarine design and building capability, such as its diesel engine, torpedo tubes and other combat equipment, have been procured from overseas, the source said.
The Ministry of National Defense has divided the hardware and technologies Taiwan needs for its submarines into red, yellow and green categories, with “red” parts needing to be imported, “yellow” parts that might possibly be made locally and “green” parts that can easily be made in Taiwan.
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
‘WORLD’S LOSS’: Taiwan’s exclusion robs the world of the benefits it could get from one of the foremost practitioners of disease prevention and public health, Minister Chiu said Taiwan should be allowed to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an irreplaceable contributor to global health and disease prevention efforts, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. He made the comment at a news conference in Taipei, hours before a Taiwanese delegation was to depart for Geneva, Switzerland, seeking to meet with foreign representatives for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the WHA, the WHO’s annual decisionmaking meeting, which would be held from Monday next week to May 27. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation. Taiwan has much to offer to the international community’s
CAUSE AND EFFECT: China’s policies prompted the US to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing should consider if this outcome is in its best interests, Lai said China has been escalating its military and political pressure on Taiwan for many years, but should reflect on this strategy and think about what is really in its best interest, President William Lai (賴清德) said. Lai made the remark in a YouTube interview with Mindi World News that was broadcast on Saturday, ahead of the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration tomorrow. The US has clearly stated that China is its biggest challenge and threat, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly saying that the US should increase its forces in the Indo-Pacific region
ALL TOGETHER: Only by including Taiwan can the WHA fully exemplify its commitment to ‘One World for Health,’ the representative offices of eight nations in Taiwan said The representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and for Taipei’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA). The joint statement came as Taiwan has not received an invitation to this year’s WHA, which started yesterday and runs until Tuesday next week. This year’s meeting of the decisionmaking body of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, would be the ninth consecutive year Taiwan has been excluded. The eight offices, which reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, are the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the