Stan Shih optimistic about Taiwan AI development

There is no need for Taiwan to worry about lagging behind in the development of artificial intelligence (AI), as AI development remains at a nascent stage worldwide and its major applications have yet to come, Stain Shih, founder of the Acer Group, has said.

The tech tycoon stressed that Taiwan had lagged behind Silicon Valley for decades in the development of semiconductor and computer technologies, but it has finally caught up and even outperformed global competitors in some areas.

Shih made the statement when speaking at the “Innovation and Startups” award ceremony hosted June 28 in Taipei by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Applied Research Laboratories.

He was responding to Ho Mei-yueh, a presidential policy advisor, who recently lamented that Taiwan may have lagged behind the Silicon Valley for one generation in AI development. Ho expressed the worry after returning from a trip to the US to learn about the latest AI developments in the Silicon Valley, in her capacity as leader of a Taiwan delegation.

While encouraging award winners to keep on their efforts and address challenges from changing industrial and market environments, Shih stressed that he himself is still striving to create new ventures, believing that invisible confidence counts most in the process of building startups, in addition to visible funds.

“What Taiwan lacks is not talent, but performance stages,” Shih reiterated, reasoning that soon after the emergence of semiconductor and computer industries, Taiwan’s talent for the sectors quickly gathered. Likewise, now that the AI stage is available, Taiwanese AI talent will perform on the stage soon, he continued.

Major advantage for AI development in Taiwan

Basically, Shih commented, the government here is doing right in making investments in the nation’s digitalization and AI infrastructures. With AI deemed a further extension of semiconductor and computer technologies, Taiwan’s solid infrastructures in the two sectors can serve as a major advantage to bolster its AI development, Shih continued.

Facing the mounting AI fever worldwide, Taiwan should still go its own way. In this regard, Taiwan should enhance its core competitiveness in software and services in the next 30 to 50 years, just as it has done over the past 50 years in developing and maintaining its manufacturing prowess, according Shih.

In related development, the government-funded Innovation and Startups program has been implemented for five years, having assisted 361 youth startup teams in setting up 113 new companies, with private capital influx of NT$1.12 billion (US$40 million).

Acer founder Stan Shih, third from right, poses with winners of Innovation and Startups Awards.
Photo: National Applied Research Laboratories

Categories: IT + CE Software

Tags: Acer artificial intelligence Stan Shih Taiwan

Companies: Acer

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