President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) says that in order to move from hardware advantages to AI application, Taiwan’s government is advancing the Ten AI Initiatives Promotion Plan and has additionally allocated NT$100 billion (US$3.1 billion) to help small and medium-sized enterprises transform and advance. He expressed hope that the Legislature will pass the related budget bill as soon as possible. That came at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research’s (TIER) 50th anniversary celebration event on Tuesday, July 21.

Lai said Taiwan’s economy has performed very well over the past two years due to the global AI infrastructure demand and Taiwan’s hardware manufacturing capabilities. However, Taiwan must also be able to apply AI in the future. He said that in order to build up the nation using AI, the government has proposed the Ten AI Initiatives Promotion Plan, which includes the building of computing power, sovereign AI and data applications, and talent cultivation. This will allow Taiwan to develop in a balanced way through applying AI across various fields, with a focus on three key technologies: silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics.

Lai said that silicon photonics and quantum computing are future technologies that can help Taiwan maintain a competitive edge in the industry. Meanwhile, in a broad sense, robotics includes drones, as well as unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. This is why the government has proposed a special defense budget, which aims to both strengthen national defense capabilities and promote industrial development. Lai expressed regret that this has failed to win support from opposition parties in the Legislature.

Lai said that beyond these three key technologies, the government also hopes to achieve three economic and social development goals. The first of those is helping at least one million small, medium, and micro enterprises undergo digital transformation and adopt AI, with a special NT$100 billion fund supporting the effort. He expressed hope that the related budget bill can be passed smoothly.

Lai said the second goal is to build an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that takes advantage of AI and emerging technologies. The third goal is to apply AI across all aspects of daily life in Taiwan, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment, as well as across all sectors of society and industry. This will make Taiwan an AI-enabled living environment, which will boost economic development and social progress, while making daily lives more convenient.