Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said Tuesday that in the face of the AI wave and the restructuring of global supply chains, Taiwan must not only continue to consolidate its hardware manufacturing advantages, but also strengthen its software and systems integration capabilities. 

Speaking at a media forum, Cheng called back to the “Made in Taiwan” boom in Taiwanese manufacturing in the 80s and 90s, saying the next step should be contributions to the global tech industry that are “Created in Taiwan.” 

She pointed out that countries around the world are actively building out AI infrastructure, and that amid geopolitical upheaval, the importance of communications resilience, national security, and digital infrastructure continues to rise. The vice premier said Taiwan is expected to become an important partner for like-minded countries, further elevating Taiwan's strategic position in the global industrial chain.

Cheng said in addition to President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) Five Trusted Industry Sectors proposal from the beginning of his term, the Cabinet’s national AI strategy committee has set out Taiwan's AI development direction this past June. Under this framework, the government will advance sovereign AI and data governance, and accelerate AI model training, with priority given to applications in education, healthcare, finance, and the judicial system, in order to build a smart living environment for all citizens. Next-generation communications has become critical infrastructure for the AI era, Cheng said, highlighting space technology in particular. 

She said the government will continue to work with all sectors to develop key technologies such as 6G, low-earth-orbit satellites, and all-optical networks, in order to build next-generation technological competitiveness.