Artificial intelligence platform Taiwan Computing Cloud (TWCC) is set to officially commence services for academic and research projects in June, according to the National Center for High-performance Computing.
 
TWCC is powered by Taiwania 2, a new supercomputer developed by the NCHC in cooperation with local industry heavyweights AsusTek Computer Inc., Quanta Computer Inc. and Taiwan Mobile Co. The device has a speed of 9 quadrillion floating point operations per second, making it the 20th fastest in the world, according to the most recent TOP500 list released in November last year.
 
The launch of TWCC and Taiwania 2 was announced at the Taiwan Computing Cloud Conference May 16 in Taipei City. Co-organized by the NCHC and its industry partners, the one-day event spotlighted the platform’s applications in such fields as information security and precision medicine.
 
Industry participants are set to gain access to the service from the fourth quarter of this year, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
 
Speaking at the event, MOST Minister Chen Liang-gee said that TWCC marks a milestone in the advancement of Taiwan’s technological research capabilities. The system is expected to help transform AI into a trillion New Taiwan dollar industry, he added.
 
According to NCHC Director General Shepherd Shi, TWCC is aimed at providing local AI innovators with access to world-class development tools in terms of functionality, speed and security. It will facilitate not only cutting-edge R&D, but commercialization of research results, he said.
 
Established in 1991 and headquartered at Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan, the NCHC operates under the MOST’s National Applied Research Laboratories. Taiwania 2 is located at the center’s branch in Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung City. (HC-E)
 
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