Taiwan has become indispensable to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at the opening of Computex Taipei.
Lai said global tech giants had gathered in Taiwan for this year’s Computex, with some announcing plans to continue investing in the nation, demonstrating confidence in Taiwan’s technological capabilities, industrial efficiency and democratic system.
Computex, which runs through Friday and is themed “AI Together,” features a record-breaking 6,000-plus booths from 1,500 exhibitors representing 33 countries, including Nvidia Corp, Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp.
Photo: Tsai Hsin-han, Reuters
More than 60,000 visitors registered to attend the trade show.
Lai said the government welcomes investment from around the world by offering tax incentives, improving the investment environment and promoting a chip-based innovation program aimed at driving next-generation technological advances.
Taiwan will maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he said, describing the policy as the most responsible commitment to the global supply chain.
Photo: Tsai Hsin-han, Reuters
“The more the world needs AI, the more it needs a stable, trustworthy and responsible Taiwan,” Lai said. “When AI development enters its next stage, it will require collaboration among like-minded and reliable partners around the world.”
The world’s confidence in Taiwan is reflected in the nation’s strong economic performance, he said.
Taiwan’s economy expanded 14.55 percent in the first quarter, its highest quarterly growth rate in 48 years, driven by robust technology exports.
On Friday, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics raised its economic growth forecast for this year from 7.71 percent to 9.64 percent, the highest level in 16 years, and projected that Taiwan would be among the world’s 20 largest economies next year.
Amid growing optimism about Taiwan, the local stock market’s capitalization surged to US$4.95 trillion last month, making it the world’s fifth-largest market, Lai said.
The achievement reflected the efforts of industries across the board and Taiwan’s work force, underscoring the nation’s critical role in global AI development, he said.
Addressing concerns about electricity shortages, Lai said Taiwan’s power supply would remain sufficient through 2032, despite rising demand from AI development.
The government will continue promoting its second phase of energy transformation to ensure a stable power supply, he said.
The initiative, launched by the Executive Yuan in 2024, aims to increase natural gas-fired power generation, diversify renewable energy sources and beef up energy storage capacity and the nationwide power grid.
Concerns over Taiwan’s power supply intensified after Nvidia founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), who is attending this year’s Computex, last week said that Taiwan would need more electricity to support future AI development.
Alongside ensuring adequate power, Lai said the government would provide sufficient water, land and talent resources to meet rapidly growing demand for AI infrastructure, computing capacity and semiconductors.
Taiwan will continue pursuing technological innovation, strengthening economic resilience and working with international partners in AI development, Lai added.
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