The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has recently proposed eight frontier research platforms focused on semiconductor and quantum technology, AI, outer space, cybersecurity, precision health, net-zero emissions technology, national defense technology, and culture and society in hopes of integrating the academic and research sectors and grafting them to society and industry. NARLabs, in line with NSTC policy, develops platforms for the implementation of these technologies and has recently boosted such efforts through its participation in the CogX Festival, a future-oriented science and technology gathering held in London. At the event, demonstrations and speeches from NARLabs representatives allowed the world to witness the direction of Taiwan's scientific and technological development.
This year marked the first time for NARLabs to participate in the CogX Festival. Featuring its seven national research centers, NARLabs showcased Taiwan's achievements in semiconductor development, AI chips, organs-on-chips, cybersecurity, net-zero emissions, and talent training in the semiconductor industry at the event. First held in 2017, the CogX Festival has become one of the world's biggest tech gatherings. This year's Festival focused on the challenges that humanity will face over the next decade in the Exponential Age.
Several NARLabs representatives were invited as keynote speakers for the Semi Impact Summit, a spotlight event at CogX, where they discussed topics related to AI, net-zero emissions, IoT, and organs-on-chips. Among them, National Center for High‑performance Computing (NCHC) Director-General Chau-Lyan Chang gave a speech on the omnipresence of computer chips, in which he pointed out that, from Edge AI to large language models (LLMs) needed for generative AI, the development of powerful chips is driven by human intelligence and innovation.
Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) Deputy Director-General Ying-Zung Juang presented on IC design challenges in the new era, saying that with the development and evolution of AI, today's computing environments can no longer compare with the computer age of the past, and in order to respond to demand, hybrid environments that integrate AI, high-performance computing, and quantum computing will be the direction to go. Next, National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) Deputy Director-General Juin-Fu Chai spoke on AI earthquake early warning systems (EEWSs) and structural safety monitoring systems, where he explained how an EEWS that combines AI algorithms with a post-earthquake structural safety monitoring system can reduce damage and property loss caused by earthquakes, and the technology can apply especially to high-tech industries that use high-precision instruments.
NARLabs Office of International Affairs Director Mei-Yu Chang then presented on the uniqueness of Taiwan's semiconductor industry development, saying that Taiwan is a tech island and the world's biggest investor in the semiconductor industry. As a platform linking the industrial, academic, and research sectors, and in particular through the talent training programs developed by TSRI, NARLabs is able to bring out the uniqueness of Taiwan's position in the global semiconductor industry. Taiwan Instrument Research Institute (TIRI) associate researcher Chih-Sheng Yu gave a speech on linking the industrial, academic, and research sectors to create social value, introducing TIRI's advanced vacuum technology, which plays an important role in semiconductor manufacturing, as well as the cutting-edge optical components that assisted in the making of Taiwan's independently-developed satellite FORMOSAT-5, TIRI's platform for accelerating the introduction of new medical devices on the market, and alternative experimental animal platforms that are in development in cooperation with the National Laboratory Animal Center (NLAC) and TSRI. In addition, Associate Professor Yu-Hsiang Hsu of the National Taiwan University Institute of Applied Mechanics delivered a speech on behalf of NLAC on applying the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) to precision health, illustrating that by building a cardiac muscle cell model on a chip and combining it with piezoelectric elements, the model can be used in drug discovery.
Focusing on semiconductors, Semi Impact Summit pROVides an interactive platform for participants to share and discuss the latest progress, challenges, opportunities, and even geopolitical impacts of the industry. The Summit aims to bring together companies, investors, policymakers, and innovators to share their knowledge and engage in in-depth conversations to promote the development of the global semiconductor industry.
By participating in the CogX Festival, NARLabs not only hopes to share with the world Taiwan's experience in frontier technologies and talent training to showcase Taiwan's strengths, but also attract further collaboration between NARLabs and international industries, academic institutions, and research institutes to work together for a brighter future.
