Taiwan Science & Technology Hub opens at Stanford University

San Francisco, June 2 (CNA) Under the initiative of Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), the Taiwan Science amd Technology Hub, located at Stanford University, opened Friday.

The NSTC launched a program in January to build a Taiwan-U.S. technology research platform by integrating inter-ministerial resources in the Cabinet to strengthen the country's technology capabilities and selecting Stanford University as a partner for cooperation in preparation for the opening of the Taiwan Science and Technology Hub.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), head of the NSTC, said as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated a global shortage in semiconductors, Taiwan played a critical role in stabilizing the global IC supply chain.

Wu said cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing and design between Taiwan and the U.S. was expected to enhance economic security worldwide, in particular in the current booming generative artificial intelligence era.

Meanwhile, Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said he expected the hub to serve as a bridge between Taiwan and the San Francisco Bay Area in technology resource integration.

Jennifer Widom, dean of the School of Engineering at Stanford, said Morris Chang (張忠謀), founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), received a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford in 1964, and Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) and Yahoo Founder Jerry Yang (楊致遠), both of who were born in Taiwan, also graduated from Stanford.

Widom added that the Taiwan Science and Technology Hub would allow such a talent list to grow.

On the opening day, the hub also held an inaugural technology conference with several heavyweights from the University of California, Berkeley, attending and delivering keynote speeches on semiconductors, carbon emission reductions and digital medical care.

Among these UC Berkeley scholars, Tsu-Jae King Liu (劉金智潔), dean of the College of Engineering, was born to parents who came from Taiwan, and Michael Lu (呂淳祺), dean of School of Public Health, migrated from Taiwan to the United States when he was 5 years old.

Wu expressed his gratitude to Stanford and UC Berkeley for their efforts in cultivating tech talent for the world and Taiwan.

According to Wu, while Chang graduated from Stanford, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu received his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from UC Berkeley.

Wu said both Chang and Liu had made tremendous contributions to Taiwan's semiconductor technology.