Gov't earmarks NT$196.5 billion to support tech industries next year

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's government has allocated NT$196.5 billion (US$6.03 billion) in next year's budget to support the tech industry, the nation's premier said on Thursday.

Speaking at a technology-themed event EdTech Taiwan held at the Taipei World Trade Center, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said in a speech that the government's plan is to "make step-by-step efforts" to transform Taiwan into a "digital nation and 'smart' island."

NT$14.6 billion has been earmarked for the semiconductor industry, NT$10.1 for net-zero technology, NT$9.4 billion for artificial intelligence (AI), NT$6 billion for aerospace and communications industries, and NT$5.3 billion for digital humanities, Cho said.

The premier also mentioned that the remainder of the tech budget will be spent on areas including the arms industry, security-related technologies, and next-generation communications.

"Through its policy approach, the Executive Yuan hopes to establish Taiwan's own sovereign AI and enter the era of AI applications," the premier said.

The premier also stressed the importance of government ministers "diligently explaining" the budget to Taiwan's Legislature, where an informal coalition of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) has a majority of seats.

In recent months, the opposition-controlled Legislature has struggled to reach a consensus with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over next year's general executive budget.

The proposed allocation of NT$196.5 billion to technology-related spending next year, if approved by the Legislature, would represent an increase of more than 25 percent from the NT$156.9 billion allocated for 2024.