This roundup details the impact of the April 3 earthquake on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, efforts to create an AI language model without perceived bias against Taiwan, and plans to create a digital platform to increase the efficiency of medical services.
AI
A Taiwanese large language model based on Meta’s Llama 2 is nearing the level of GPT3.5, according to Tsung-Tsong Wu (吳政忠), chairman of the National Science and Technology Council. A less powerful model has already been completed.
Known as Trustworthy AI Dialogue Engine (TAIDE), the aim of the models is to provide an AI dialogue mechanism for applications to be used by public and private enterprises. Wu said a lack of traditional Chinese language data in models made elsewhere made them prone to biases or “culturally inappropriate” responses about Taiwan.
Elsewhere, the Department of Computer Science at National Tsing Hua University (國立清華大學) has developed an “AI Sports Video Analysis and VR Immersive Training Platform” to help analyze sporting technique. Developed in collaboration with Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (國家科學及技術委員會), it can work on real-time videos and analyze athletes’ movement techniques and tactics. The team has established a startup to promote the technology.
Space Industry
Following on from Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信全球), the largest telecommunication company in Taiwan, signing an exclusive agency contract with OneWeb for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites over Taiwan, satellite services will be available in southern Taiwan by the second quarter of 2024, according to the Ministry of Digital Development. It said coverage for the entirety of Taiwan will be available by the end of the year.
The decision to work with OneWeb rather than Elon Musk’s Starlink, which owns the largest network of LEO satellites, may be because of decisions by Musk to cut off access to Ukraine at various points during the war with Russia, and because of comments he has made about Taiwan in the past, CommonWealth Magazine recently suggested.
Semiconductors
After many semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan confirmed they had evacuated facilities during the earthquake on April 3, analysts have told Reuters that it could temporarily tighten supply of components such as display panels and semiconductors. The overall impact is likely to be minimal, though.
Automatic shutdown systems help minimize damage to production and tools, but it can take 36 to 48 hours to get operations back to normal levels. TSMC (台積電) said recovery of chip fabrication facilities rose above 70% within ten hours of the earthquake, and new facilities hit 80%.
Prior to the earthquake, president-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had been touring “key industries” around Taiwan in the run up to taking on the presidency. He’s recently visited semiconductor companies in Hsinchu (新竹), drone companies in Chiayi (嘉義), and the ICT industry in Taoyuan (桃園).
Startup Snapshot
Golface, a startup which provides apps and tablets to record golf scores and offer course information, announced fundraising of 50 million New Taiwan dollars this month. It plans to list itself on the stock exchange within the next three to five years.
Photonics
Taiwan’s Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association said Taiwan’s industry was worth more than 2 trillion NTD (around $62 billion) last year, with an annual growth rate reaching 44%. The industry covers a wide range of technologies and devices that utilize light, with applications in telecommunications, healthcare, defense and security, and energy (notably solar panels).
Computing
Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc has said it will appeal a copyright infringement ruling in the U.S. The ruling covers technology used by the company to build notebook computers, desktop computers, servers and motherboards. The company has been ordered to pay $18 million (around $577 million NTD) to ACQIS LLC., a technology licensing company based in the U.S.
Medical Tech
The Ministry of Health and Welfare used the annual meeting of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in Chicago to highlight its intention to build a digital health platform aimed at enhancing existing information systems in services such as smart pharmacies and wards, or remote and home health care. In an era of demographic aging, many experts suggest highly integrated medical “super apps” could become a necessity.
Earthquake Tech
Taiwan’s earthquake preparedness has been praised as “among the most advanced in the world,” by a number of experts. “The island has implemented strict building codes, a world-class seismological network, and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety,” Stephen Gao, a seismologist and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology told the National Post.
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