Taiwan wins 15 R&D 100 Awards this year, most in Asia

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) Taiwanese research institutions won 15 awards at this year's R&D 100 Awards, the most of any country in Asia and the second most worldwide, trailing only the United States, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Wednesday.

The R&D 100 Awards is a U.S.-based not for profit innovation-focused program established in 1963.

Fifteen awards also set a new record as the highest number of Taiwan has ever received, the Department of Industrial Technology under the MOEA said at a press conference

According to the department, Taiwan's award-winning projects or technologies focused on a wide range of areas, including semiconductors, information and communication technology, net zero and artificial intelligence (AI).

Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said research and development achievements supported by the MOEA have won R&D Awards for 17 consecutive years, accumulating 97 awards in total.

He added that 90 percent of Taiwan's MOEA-supported award-winning technologies this year have either been transferred to manufacturers or used to establish new startups. In addition, nine of this year's winning technologies have been developed in collaboration with businesses in the related industry for further applications.

One of the award-winning technologies is the "MOSAIC, Memory-cube Operability in a Stacked AI Chip for Generative AI," a collaboration between the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. which reduces power consumption by 90 percent and increased data speed by eight times, Kuo said.

In addition, CO2-Fixing Polycarbonate co-developed by the ITRI and CHIMEI Corp. have been proved to be able to reduce carbon emissions by 178,500 tons annually, according to Kuo.

Meanwhile, the ITRI ranked third globally with eight awards received, alongside Los Alamos National Laboratory in the U.S.

According to the department, Taiwan has established a leading position in the global technology landscape, especially in the areas of semiconductors, information and communication technology, AI, and net zero, through government policy support and active involvement from research institutions.

The department added that that it will continue to support different research projects and turn developed technologies into practical applications.

It will also collaborate closely with industry to ensure these technologies drive industrial upgrading and enhance international competitiveness, the department said.