Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said.
Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes.
To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and Taiwan-based IC packaging and testing services provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) have organized the Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance, which is comprised of more than 30 Taiwanese companies.
Photo: CNA
Silicon photonics is a technology that uses silicon as a medium for optical transmission, which has some promising features, such as low power consumption, extensive transmission distance and lower costs.
At a time when AI applications are booming, finding ways to cut energy consumption has become a focus.
Huang expressed gratitude to all TSMC’s employees for their support for Nvidia, which he said has enabled his company to make a significant improvement in production, as AI applications are in great demand.
Huang also visited several of Nvidia’s business partners in Taiwan.
During the visits, Huang said global demand for Nvidia’s advanced Grace and Blackwell graphics processing units (GPUs) was strong as he also thanked Taiwanese partners for providing about 45 factories to help his company.
He named Nvidia’s partners in expressing his gratitude, including AI server makers Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) and Wistron Corp (緯創), cloud-enabled services provider Wiwynn Corp (緯穎), AI graphics card vendor Gigabyte Technology Co (技嘉), IC packaging and testing services provider Siliconware Precision Industries Co (矽品精密) and PC component maker Cooler Master Co (訊凱國際).
Nvidia has created GPUs and AI applications, and laid a new foundation for future computer development, Huang said, adding that he believed the AI industry would become the mainstream of the global industrial development, and that the technology would allow machines to learn 24 hours a day to help humans.
He said that now is just the beginning of the AI era, and he expected several trillion US dollars worth of business opportunities to come.
Nvidia has to grow rapidly to meet the trend, but without its Taiwanese partners, which are “working around the clock,” it would be impossible for his company to make it, Huang said.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
TALKS CONTINUE: Although an agreement has not been reached with Washington, lowering the tariff from 32 percent to 20 percent is still progress, the vice premier said Taiwan would strive for a better US tariff rate in negotiations, with the goal being not just lowering the current 20-percent tariff rate, but also securing an exemption from tariff stacking, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday. Cheng made the remarks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan explaining the new US tariffs and the government’s plans for supporting affected industries. US President Donald Trump on July 31 announced a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the US starting on Thursday last week, and the Office of Trade Negotiations on Friday confirmed that it
RSS