New Southbound Policy Portal

The expansion of an artificial intelligence R&D center in Taipei City by Microsoft Taiwan Corp. shows that international firms recognize the talent and technical prowess on offer in the country, President Tsai Ing-wen said Sept. 27.
 
At a ceremony to mark the center’s expansion and to celebrate 30 years of Microsoft in Taiwan, Tsai said the company has chosen the ideal location for its global AI hub. Taiwan’s well established supply chain and expertise in information and communication technology are perfect complements to the growing AI industry, she added.
 
According to Tsai, homemade talent also makes Taiwan an attractive option, with almost all of Microsoft’s 600 domestic staff being local employees. This underscores the success of government efforts to improve the nation’s human capital, she said.
 
Particular examples include the government’s AI innovation and talent cultivation plan, which involves spending NT$16 billion (US$0.5 billion) from 2017 to 2021 to build the required ecosystem. Undertaken by the Ministry of Science and Technology with support from the public and private sectors, initiatives include establishing a homegrown R&D center and the Grand Challenge, a competition to find the next generation of AI talents.
 
Microsoft’s AI center was set up under a memorandum of understanding on AI development the multinational inked with MOST’s National Applied Research Laboratories in December 2017. The first of its kind in Taiwan, the center focuses on R&D relating to audience intent recognition, integrating AI in vertical industrial applications and improving its SwiftKey Chinese character input method. (YCH-E)
 
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw