2024 Computex to attract 50,000 buyers: TAITRA

Taipei, June 3 (CNA) With 1,500 participating tech companies from across the globe, the 2024 edition of Taiwan's annual Computex is looking to draw around 50,000 buyers, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Monday.

Taiwan's preeminent tech tradeshow was launched Monday with a press event hosted by TAITRA Chairman James Huang (黃志芳).

Speaking with local media, Huang said this year's show would feature 1,500 information and communication technology (ICT) exhibitors across 4,500 booths in two exhibition halls.

He added that almost 13,000 people representing international businesses and buyers had already pre-registered alongside at least 36,000 local IT experts.

Given the sheer number of exhibitors and pre-registered participants, TAITRA estimates the show will draw in an unprecedented 50,000 buyers, the council said.

At least 1,000 members of the international press will cover the event, Huang added.

Moreover, the annual expo's supplemental show for tech startups, InnoVEX, has also recruited nearly 400 startups from 30 countries to join the event to explore green computing technologies, setting a new record for the exhibition held concurrently with Computex, according to Huang.

"With leading companies showcasing their innovations, this special exhibit highlights their cutting-edge computing solutions that are shaping the future of AI," Huang said during his speech, highlighting "Connecting AI (artificial intelligence)" as the main theme of this year's exhibition.

Huang told local media that AI is not only the focus of this year's expo, but also the spotlight in the next decade if not the next two decades.

He said Taiwan plays an important role in the world's AI ecosystem, having attracted companies such as AMD, Nvidia, Google, Amazon and Microsoft as partners and clients.

On big named-companies, TAITRA revealed that the 2024 edition of Computex also features the highest amount of chief executive officers ever in attendance to deliver keynote speeches, with AMD Chairwoman and CEO Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) leading the pack through her "The future of high-performance computing in the AI era" keynote set on Monday right after the launch of the expo.

"The CEO keynotes have always been the highlight of Computex, and this year is truly unprecedented," Huang said. "Global CEOs and top executives from AMD, Qualcomm, Intel, Mediatek, SuperMicro, NXP, Arm and Nvidia are all here, gathered under one roof at Computex. They will share their latest concept(s) visions and solutions."

Paul Peng (彭双浪), chairman of the Taiwan Computer Association (TCA) who co-organized Computex, also announced the six themes that serve as the spotlight of 2024.

"This year," Peng said over a pre-recorded message, "Computex will feature six major topics: AI Computing, Advanced Communications, Future Mobility, Immersive Reality, Green Energy & Sustainability and Innovation."

Peng told attendants that "Connecting AI" is not only reflected in the exhibition but also in over 50 forums both Computex and InnoVex will have combined to explore AI as a technology and its applications.

The TCA chair also promoted Taiwan as a prospective partner for international companies when it comes to storing data needed for them to develop their AI tech.

"As we know, building GenAI (generative AI) and LLM (large language model) solutions need more than just sufficient computing power, but also abundant data storage in the cloud or Edge AI devices," Peng said. "This means, it is vital to find reliable and efficient partners which Taiwan can provide. Taiwan's ICT industry has a proven track record of more than 40 years of R&D experience and professional reputation."

Computex 2024 will take place from June 4-7 in Halls 1 and 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

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