TAITA-SV Annual Meeting Industry and academia experts talk about innovation and technology in Taiwan and the United States

During a recent interview, Huang Chin-yung expressed his optimistic vision for Taiwan over the next decade, describing it as a “golden decade.” This remark came during the 21st annual meeting of the Silicon Valley Taiwanese American Industrial Technology Association (TAITA-SV) held on October 19 in Santa Clara. The theme of this year’s event was “Rooted in Science, Innovative Technology,” and featured nine distinguished speakers from academia and industry. The keynote speaker for the evening was former Academia Sinica President, Wong Qi-hui, who focused his discussion on advancements in healthcare and biotechnology.

The event kicked off with remarks from Yen Hong-wei, head of the technology division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco. He highlighted Silicon Valley’s status as a global hub of technological innovation, likening it to an engine driving the development of new technologies, which have far-reaching impacts worldwide. Yen emphasized the office’s commitment to enhancing collaboration between Taiwan and Silicon Valley.

In an interview following his keynote address, Wong Qi-hui remarked on the wealth of talent in Silicon Valley across various fields. He noted that this year’s event particularly emphasized the semiconductor and AI industries. Wong shared his excitement about Taiwan’s promising future, anticipated to be a remarkable era of growth and innovation.

Wong also spoke about the potential influence of AI across multiple sectors, particularly in his specialty area related to the roles of sugar molecules in proteins. He suggested that AI could significantly enhance the design of glycoproteins, which in turn might accelerate the development of glycoprotein-based medications.

Luc Yu, president of TAITA-SV, elaborated on the association’s role as a bridge for technology exchange between Taiwan and the U.S., facilitating opportunities for scholarship students and industry collaboration. He highlighted that over thirty university professors participated in this year’s meeting, fostering an environment for not just academic-industry dialogue, but also multigenerational connections.

Among the invited speakers from Taiwan was Huang Chin-yung, founder of DIGITIMES, who emphasized that barring any significant changes in the global landscape, the coming ten years should indeed be a golden age for Taiwan. He pointed out that this year marked a historic milestone, with revenue from publicly traded electronics companies in Taiwan exceeding $1 trillion for the first time, and the semiconductor industry surpassing $200 billion annually, driven by advancements in servers and AI.

Huang noted that Jensen Huang had previously stated that AI stimulates software and that software then drives hardware, but he believes it will be hardware that ultimately redefines the demand for AI. He highlighted the enormous investment required for advanced chip manufacturing, with $20 billion needed for a 3nm chip plant and $28 billion for a 2nm facility, along with extended timelines for construction and client negotiations. He confidently asserted that Taiwan’s advantages in this field will not be easily replaced in the near term.