As AI reshapes the technology landscape, Taiwan remains at the center of the global semiconductor ecosystem. In this exclusive video interview with EE Times, Minister of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Cheng-Wen Wu outlines the nation’s strategy for sustaining leadership amid rising geopolitical pressures, resource constraints, and accelerating demand for advanced computing technologies.
Watch the full interview here:
Alternatively, you can listen to the audio below, where Wu also talks about mitigating scarcity and geopolitical pressures, plus the success of its science park ecosystem in encouraging Taiwan’s startups:
The discussion explores Taiwan’s vision beyond semiconductor manufacturing, highlighting four strategic pillars: continued investment in advanced manufacturing and R&D, deeper international collaboration, expansion into next-generation applications such as robotics, autonomous systems, and space technologies, and a commitment to sustainable industrial growth through energy efficiency and net-zero initiatives.
View All A major focus of the conversation is silicon photonics, which Taiwan sees as a foundational technology for enabling future AI infrastructure. The interview examines how Taiwan’s manufacturing expertise, combined with partnerships across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other global technology hubs, could help overcome scalability challenges and accelerate the development of all-photonic networks.
The discussion also addresses emerging opportunities in quantum computing, advanced packaging, power electronics, and compound semiconductors, while providing insight into how Taiwan is balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship and resource management.
Ultimately, Wu’s message is that while Taiwan has focused on manufacturing, it is comprehensively focused on transitioning from a pure hardware manufacturer to a global enabler of multi-domain innovations.
Backing this up, Wu talked about the policy framework that underpins this, built around four central pillars designed to sustain and build upon Taiwan’s current economic momentum:
Maintaining advanced manufacturing dominance: continuing aggressive public and private R&D investment to stay at the cutting edge of semiconductor and AI server manufacturing.Strengthening international collaboration: accepting that Taiwan cannot maintain its edge in isolation. The goal is to collaborate deeply on scientific research, tools, materials, and chemicals with global, democratic, and free-market countries.Socio-economic application and expansion: spreading the wealth of Taiwan’s manufacturing power to benefit other critical, emerging fields, including AI robotics, space industries, autonomous vehicles, drones, and traditional service sectors like agriculture, education, and transport.Net-zero and sustainability commitments: engineering cleaner manufacturing processes, preserving the ecology of science parks (even aiming to bring back endangered species), and investing heavily in power electronics to slash global tech energy consumption.
See also:
Taiwan’s Emerging Power Electronics Strategy in the AI Era