Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) will undertake five strategic tasks to establish an AI (artificial intelligence) innovation ecosystem in a bid to boost development of AI-related industries and application, according to MOST minister Chen Liang-gee.
The first strategic task is, with a 4-year budget of NT$5 billion (US$165 million), to set up high-performance computing capability for common use by enterprises and academic and research organizations to develop deep learning and Big Data analysis technologies and application of these technologies, and to cultivate AI service providers.
The second is to set up AI innovation R&D centers, investing NT$1 billion annually in R&D of AI fundamental technology, smart medical care, FinTech and smart manufacturing for five years. MOST plans to establish 3-4 AI innovation centers by end-of-2017, invite more than 300 local and overseas scholars and experts to participate in the R&D and produce 3,000 AI-related professionals.
The third is to set up a smart robotics innovation base for AI software-hardware integration and smart robots development. With a 4-year budget of NT$2 billion, MOST plans to set up about 50 startups, train 4,000 smart robotics experts and develop over 30 key technologies.
The fourth is to help semiconductor makers break through AI bottlenecks with a 4-year budget of NT$4 billion. Such bottlenecks include materials, design and manufacturing concerning low-voltage and low-power key devices, next-generation memory, ASICs or smart chips for unmanned vehicles, VR/AR applications and IoT.
The fifth is hold Grand Challenges competitions that stimulate students’ innovation in developing AI technology and application. The first competition, Dialog with AI, focuses on computers’ capability in Chinese listening comprehension with total awards of NT$30 million, and 129 student teams have registered so far.
Reference: DigiTimes
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