President Lai inaugurates National Center for AI Robotics in Tainan

Tainan, April 10 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) officially opened the National Center for AI Robotics (NCAIR) on Friday, calling it a crucial step toward Taiwan's goal of becoming a technology-oriented island.

NCAIR, which operates under the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), was created in line with the government's "Ten AI Initiatives Promotion Plan" to give the nation a competitive edge in the global tech market.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lai expressed hope that the AI initiatives plan will benefit 1 million small and medium enterprises through the application of AI.

Lai said that robots, the key development focus of NCAIR, not only represent technological advancement but also showcase a nation's competitiveness.

As Taiwan already has a robust tech industry, such as mature chip production and precision technology development, it has a solid foundation on which to base robotics advancements, Lai added.

Lai said he expects NCAIR to become an engine for local robotics research and development, provide a platform for the nurturing of talents in the field and serve as a bridge between the tech education sector and industry.

NCAIR is located in the Shalun Green Energy Science City (SSGESC) in Tainan.

In addition to research and development into artificial intelligence and robotics, NCAIR will also focus on robot testing and training.

At the Friday event, National Applied Research Laboratories President Tsai Hung-yin (蔡宏營) revealed that a government program promoting the local robotics industry will be launched this year, with plans to invest NT$20 billion (US$629 million) from 2026-2029.

The investment will help create at least three new robotics startups to assist with the development of smart robots and cultivate business, Tsai added.

With the global robotics industry projected to grow rapidly by 2030, Taiwan's robotics industry will focus primarily on the areas of high-risk occupations, medicine and healthcare, as well as the food and service industry.

Such priorities reflect the global trend of aging societies and the need for service-based robots, Tsai said.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, NCAIR Director Su Wen-yu (蘇文鈺) said that the center will focus on home care robots, but also seek to develop robots that can perform less popular jobs that are high-risk.