Kaohsiung’s two major-party mayoral candidates yesterday outlined their plans for developing the city’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry, with proposals ranging from an AI industry cluster and closer industry-academia ties to wider access to AI education.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Jui- lung (賴瑞隆) said Kaohsiung was well positioned to become an AI industry hub, citing its available land, power supply, talent pool and established industrial ecosystem.
Lai said the Asia New Bay Area had the potential to become such a hub. The area covers about 590 hectares, roughly twice the size of Taipei’s Songshan Airport.
Photo: CNA
The former site of the now relocated 205th Arsenal military production site, which spans about 58 hectares within the area, could provide additional space for industrial development, he told a news conference.
Songshan Airport has drawn renewed attention since Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) weighed in last week on a long-running debate over its future, proposing that it be closed and replaced with an AI park.
Lai also cited Kaohsiung’s electricity self-sufficiency rate of 134 percent in the first half of 2026, compared with about 2 percent in Taipei, saying the city’s power supply and existing industrial supply chain could support further AI development.
Photo courtesy of Ko’s campaign office via CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) has proposed developing AI parks and the drone industry, including flight control and geospatial information applications, her campaign office said.
Ko would also connect universities and businesses and integrate hardware and software resources to support investment, research and development, and real-world testing, the office said.
Ko has also proposed expanding AI education through school programs, teacher training and digital learning opportunities for workers, small and medium-sized businesses, and older adults, to make the technology more accessible in everyday life, the office added.
Election day in Kaohsiung is scheduled for Nov. 28, alongside Taiwan’s other local elections. Voters in Kaohsiung will select a successor to incumbent Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) of the DPP, as well as the city’s council.
‘FRIENDSHIP FLEET’: A CGA official is scheduled to meet with the president of the Pacific nation, while one of the ships is to host a banquet and National Day event Two Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol vessels have docked at Malakal Harbor in Palau as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, the agency said yesterday. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu, set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived on Tuesday at Malakal Harbor, the CGA’s Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marks the second time the CGA has dispatched a “friendship fleet” to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien and
Two executives of drone supplier Jiin Ming Industry Co (錦明實業) have been detained and held incommunicado over the company's alleged use of prohibited China-made chips and camera lenses in drones supplied under recent military contracts, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office said today. In a statement, prosecutors said they raided the offices of Jiin Ming — headquartered in Taoyuan — as well as those of its subsidiaries and its suppliers on Thursday last week. The raids followed a report that the company had breached its procurement contracts by putting the prohibited components into drones delivered to the military. During the raids, prosecutors summoned
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) today said that two of its patrol vessels have docked at Palau's Malakal Harbor as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with the Palauan president. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi (嘉義) and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu (澎湖), set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived at Malakal Harbor yesterday, the CGA's Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marked the second time the CGA has dispatched a "Friendship Fleet" to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien (花蓮)
DETAILED PLAN NEEDED: Relocating the airport would affect not just travelers, but also undermine national defense and emergency medical services, a legislator said Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday proposed relocating Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and turning the site into an artificial intelligence (AI) park, drawing opposition from politicians across party lines. Chiang’s plan would turn the 300 hectares into an AI park featuring tech clusters, residential communities and green space. The industrial cluster would host 200 domestic enterprises, generate NT$12 trillion (US$376.47 billion) in output, and accommodate 65,000 jobs and 35,000 residents, he said. Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the Executive Yuan was surprised by the announcement, as the Taipei City Government did not discuss the proposal with the central government before making
RSS