BERLIN, Sept. 9, 2024 - Europe's largest consumer electronics exhibition, IFA 2024, will be held in Berlin, Germany, from September 6th to 10th. On September 5th, the day before the event begins, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) held the "AI for All, Partners to Be" Press Conference. Minister Wu Cheng-wen of the NSTC, personally attended this event, where he announced the first startup competition to be held in collaboration with Germany's IFA. This initiative seeks to enhance global collaboration within the AI industry, ushering in a new era of shared prosperity and reinforcing Taiwan's vision of becoming an AI Island.

Taiwan's Vision of Becoming an AI Island:
Fostering Startup Diversity and Industrial Growth

In his speech, Minister Wu highlighted the significant milestone achieved last year when Taiwan and Germany signed the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA), marking the first such agreement between Taiwan and a European country. This agreement underscores the importance of Taiwan's collaboration with Europe.

Minister Wu emphasized Taiwan's significant contribution to the global economy through its semiconductor industry and the pivotal role Taiwan is now playing in the ongoing AI revolution. The NSTC is participating in the IFA for the first time to continue contributing to international AI development and fulfill the vision of transforming Taiwan into an AI island.

Today's press conference opened with a featured AI video starring Minister Wu. The video opens with a digital avatar of Minister Wu speaking fluently in German, detailing of transforming Taiwan into an AI island. The lifelike visuals and sound technology amazed all the guests present. This AI video technology, developed by a Taiwanese tech team, not only demonstrates the rich applications of AI in everyday life but also shows that Taiwan is well-prepared to realize its vision of becoming an AI island.

NSTC Launches the First Corporate-driven Startup Competition at IFA NEXT

The NSTC will organize a startup competition in the IFA NEXT startup area, focused on corporate-driven innovation challenges. The competition theme, "Unveiling the Mysteries of AI," driven by the needs of Taiwanese enterprises, invites global startups to propose solutions that leverage Taiwan's robust supply chain, ensuring new products and services can successfully enter the market. This initiative aims to enhance the diversity and development of startups, enabling innovative solutions and applications to become key growth drivers across multiple industries.

In this competition, which has attracted global interest, five startups will advance to the September 7th event. The NSTC plans to continue this successful model, fostering further international collaboration and advancing the AI industry.

SOURCE National Science and Technology Council