INTERVIEW/Taiwan planning AI industrial parks to attract AI startups: MODA

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) The government is planning to set up two artificial intelligence (AI) industrial parks to capitalize on Taiwan's strength in the information and communications sectors, new Digital Affairs Minister Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男) has told CNA.

In an interview with CNA on Tuesday, Huang said the parks will be set up by the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) and National Development Council (NDC) to attract AI startups from around the world and build a more comprehensive software and hardware cluster in Taiwan.

The parks are part of MODA's strategy to take advantage of the global AI boom to drive digital economic growth and push the local digital economy's output value above NT$1 trillion (US$30.96 billion) within two years, Huang said.

Huang, an expert in data security, communications, and AI development, succeeded Audrey Tang (唐鳳) as head of the MODA on Monday when the new administration of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) took office.

He said he has discussed the two parks with Paul Liu (劉鏡清), the NDC's new head, and expected their two agencies to come up with a concrete plan of action by the end of the 2024 on how to set up and operate the two AI facilities.

Huang said they will be among the MODA's top policy priorities.

Among the startups targeted, according to Huang, will be international "unicorns," privately owned startups that have usually been in business for fewer than 10 years but have estimated market values of more than US$1 billion.

At the same time as the MODA tries to attract foreign AI startups to Taiwan, Huang said, it will also encourage Taiwanese cybersecurity firms to go global.

Taiwan is good at integrating its hardware and software strengths, and local cybersecurity service providers should be able to export their know-how combined with hardware capabilities as a bundled package to the global market, the new minister said.

For example, Huang suggested, cybersecurity knowledge can be augmented by Taiwan's Internet of Things devices through effective cloud-based systems that further improve cybersecurity while not intimidating users.

Huang estimated the output value of the domestic digital economy, which includes AI applications, cybersecurity, software development, e-commerce and information services, will grow to more than NT$1 trillion in two years from about NT$800 billion at present.

In addition to supporting the growth of the local digital economy, Huang said MODA will try to combat online fraud by introducing a special website to help people verify whether the messages they have received are fraudulent.

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MODA is also determined to improve the resilience of cybersecurity protection in Taiwan, having proposed to amend the Cyber Security Management Act by strengthening the investigative powers of the ministry's Administration for Cyber Security, he said.

At the same time, the MODA will continue its push for "Zero Trust Architecture," which uses zero-trust principles to plan and secure infrastructure and workflows, while accelerating the development of quantum cryptography to strengthen cybersecurity, Huang said.

Meanwhile, when asked about Taiwan's approach to TikTok, Huang said he will closely watch developments in the U.S. after Washington passed a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, to sell the social media platform or face a ban.

Huang said he hoped the move will go through so that Taiwanese users will be able to log on to a new TikTok based in the U.S. in the future.