The US-based Super Micro Computer Inc and Taiwan’s Guo Rui on Wednesday announced a joint venture to build a computation center powered only by renewable energy.
After meeting with Supermicro founder Charles Liang (梁見後) and Guo Rui chairman Lin Po-wen (林博文), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) instructed a cross-ministry panel to be established to help promote the government’s green energy policies and facilitate efforts to obtain land for the generation of green power, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said.
Cho thanked Liang for his company’s support of the government’s 2019 Action Plan for Welcoming Overseas Taiwanese Businesses to Return to Invest in Taiwan, and Supermicro’s willingness to work with Taiwanese companies and increase their international clout.
Photo: Fang Wei-chieh, Taipei Times
While the premier did not openly instruct the ministries to facilitate the companies’ joint venture, he asked Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to head a cross-ministerial task force to increase Taiwan’s attraction for international investment in renewable energy and artificial intelligence (AI), Lee said.
An Executive Yuan source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government should facilitate foreign investors’ increased investment in Taiwan, as such investments go hand-in-hand with government policies to grow AI and renewable energies.
While the economic ministry is not leading the task force, it would be the primary facilitator for cross-ministry efforts, the source said, adding that Kung has been included, as he had worked with Liang before.
Separately, Nvidia Corp also stated its intent to establish a secondary headquarters in Taiwan that would be equal in size to its Silicon Valley headquarters.
At the agency’s end-of-year news conference on Wednesday, National Development Council Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said that foreign investors were willing to establish offices and centers in Taiwan because of the nation’s significant talent pool and relevant infrastructure, including the availability of water, power and Internet services, as well as the proximity to their supply chains.
Taiwan’s information technology and semiconductor industries are well-developed and could significantly influence global AI development, Liu said.
If such trends continue, Taiwan could form a new international hub for AI, he said.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said that the Taipei City Government would be in close contact with Nvidia representatives and would endeavor to persuade Nvidia to establish its overseas headquarters in Taipei.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said the New Taipei City Government has prepared a portfolio of possible sites and preferential measures that the municipality is willing to offer.
Hou and Chiang made the comments on Tuesday before a meeting of next year’s World Masters Games organization committee.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or