July, August & September 2023
Taiwan’s tech news headlines in 2023’s third quarter captured items including: Taiwan’s changing semiconductor industry, domestically and internationally; Foxconn’s moves to diversify and internationalize its operations; Taiwan’s space-focused ambitions; and more.
For other editions, take a look at Asia’s tech news, daily, delivered via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter/X, and our Indo-Pacific tech newsletters for a weekly email update on Asian tech.
Hit the links below for each month’s Taiwan tech headlines, or scroll for an at-a-glance overview of Taiwan’s tech news in Q3 2023:
September 2023 | August 2023 | July 2023
e-Conomy Southeast Asia 2023 report – Google, Temasek, Bain and Co
September 2023
US, Taiwan & Semiconductors: A Critical Supply Chain Partnership
- Taiwan: A brief overview of the country’s drones-focused supply chain, both commercial and military
- Taiwan’s SemiCon 2023 Conference sees UK delegation explore opportunities and partnerships for trade, investment and R&D collaboration in Taiwan
- Taiwan: A podcast intro to Authme, an AI-powered ID verification solution aimed at know-your-customer checks
- Taiwan: Palo Alto Networks cybersec firm launched new cloud infrastructure in Taiwan, localizing data handling and storage, threat detection and prevention
McKinsey & Co: Quantum Technologies Monitor
- Taiwan: Toshiba-backed Photon Taiwan Fund invested in a projected 120MW solar power plant, aiming to generate ‘green energy’ for use by as-yet unnamed semiconductor manufacturer
- World-first AI-focused NR1 ‘server-on-a-chip’ delivered to TSMC production facility by NeuReality, following validation of chip design
- Germany’s Saxony state inks agreement with TSMC to train German students for semicon-related careers, adding to new $3.8BN TSMC factory announced for Dresden
- Taiwan set to deepen ties with Arizona and New Mexico with visit from state politicians
- Taiwan: TAcc+ 2023 Int’l SpaceTech Startup Supporting Program aims to connect space-tech firms and global bodies including European Space Agency and Indian Space Research Org’n
World Economic Forum: Space Applications in Agriculture
- Taiwan to establish overseas training centers under 10-year semiconductor innovation program, aiming to boost cooperation with countries on chip development and workforce skills
- Taiwan: Foxconn joins $49M new funding to Kneron, US edge computing focused AI chip firm, part of Foxconn move to become both hardware and software integrator
- Taiwan: Financial regulator announces guidelines for crypto service providers, including mandate that foreign virtual asset platform operators must be registered
Samsung & semiconductors:
“…once TSMC joins us in the race for two-nanometre technology, Samsung will lead the way. Within five years, we can surpass TSMC.”
- India: Taiwan’s Foxconn reportedly partnering Europe’s STMicro for new semiconductor facility in India, focusing on ‘larger’, established chipsets
- Taiwan: Japan’s Mitsui trading firm to take 40% stake in 73-turbine Hai Long Offshore Wind Power Project, with Canada’s Northland Power participating
- Taiwan: Gov’t unveils guidelines aiming to restrict unlicensed offshore cryptocurrency platforms from operating locally without registration, in move to tighten on AML/CFT requirements
CSIS: Semiconductor Supply Chains & Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
August 2023
- Taiwan: Arizona’s Moov Technologies, large-scale marketplace for used semiconductor equipment, to open new office in Taipei, building on secondary semicon market presence
- Taiwan’s Foxconn looks to standardized EV platform, seeing India or Thailand for production of 3-seat EV under $20K and focused on corporate delivery fleets
- Taiwan’s TSMC commits 3.5BN Euros to its first European facility in Germany, gaining heavy state support for what will be an $11BN plant
“…telecom operators and network gear providers need to buy up to 6 chips from different suppliers such as Intel, Broadcom, NXP and Marvell… EdgeQ’s approach is to replace all those chips with one ‘system-on-a-chip.'”
- Taiwan: An intro to Alpha Ring, micro-fusion reactor firm producing energy free from radiation pollution and at lower temperatures than standard nuclear fusion systems
- Taiwan: TSMC adds plan for next-gen 2-nm chips plant in southern city of Kaohsiung to existing plans for 2-nm facility in northern Hsinchu county, with possible 3rd plant for Taichung
- Taipei Blockchain Week 2023 set for December 11–16, featuring a core conference and a 3-day multi-chain hackathon and demo day
- Taiwan: UK’s Crypto Quantique expands in Taiwan with quantum encryption tech for semiconductor and IoT spaces, partnering Andes Technology processor manufacturer
Taiwan ‘is best-positioned to create what he calls “red-free” or “China-free” defense supply chains that friendly countries, such as Australia and Japan, could leverage for their own military logistics.’
Now, Lo, who also goes by Max, has fully transitioned the company to making dual-use drones that can also be mounted with guns, drop bombs or surveil enemy sites. Taiwan’s military is partnering with private companies including Geosat to build 3,000 military-use drones by next year.
- Startup Island TAIWAN inks MOU with Arizona’s Greater Phoenix Economic Council to boost collaboration and investment opportunities
- Taiwan’s CakeResume, used by Google, Nvidia and TSMC, raised $5M Series A from Mynavi, one of Japan’s largest HR firms, aiming for Indonesia, Vietnam and India entry
- Taiwan: A video intro to the T-Radar Pro, portable small drones-focused detection system
- Taiwan: AI program to assist with drafting court rulings potentially to begin trial run late September, using system jointly developed by the Judicial Yuan and Chunghwa Telecom
- India: Taiwan’s Foxconn to increase investment in Telangana by $400M, possibly using in-development Kongarkalan facility for manufacture of AirPods and other accessories
‘…Flax Typhoon, “a nation-state actor based out of China”, has since mid-2021 mainly “targeted [Taiwan] government agencies and education, critical manufacturing, and [IT] organizations…”‘
- Taiwan’s Foxconn India arm announces close to $10BN annual earnings, accounting for more than 5% of Foxconn business globally
- Thailand’s Arun Plus, part of state-owned oil and gas group PTT, and Taiwan’s Kymco to establish JV forming Aionex, aiming to produce e-bikes and operate battery-swapping services
- Vietnam: A quick overview of Startup Island Taiwan’s recent Taiwan Tech Solution Day in Ho Chi Minh City, a showcase of 14 of Taiwan’s digital tech startups
- The Philippines’ Ayala conglomerate inks JV to bring Taiwan’s Gogoro into the country to provide 2-wheeled e-scooters, battery-swap tech and battery-swap stations
The US, Taiwan and Semiconductors – A Crucial Supply Chain Partnership
July 2023
CSET: Mapping emerging technologies and their supply chains
- Taiwan’s TSMC to add to workers in Arizona to speed $40BN factory construction, aiming for fabrication facility to be operational by 2024, and 2nd facility by 2026
- 500 Global Taiwan Startup Program’s next intake applications close July 2nd – apply now
- Taiwan: An intro to Storipress, an all-in-one content management systems for global news sites
- The main obstacle to a Taiwan communications security deal with SpaceX? Elon Musk’s business practices.
- 500 Global Taiwan Startup Program with TTA 2023 unveils the 20 startups selected for the program, working on solutions in Web3, health-tech, fintech and more
CSIS: Pulling back the curtain on China’s maritime militia
- Taiwan: Taipei Entrepreneurial Hub launches online pitch contest for health-tech startups and solutions
- Taiwan: Next Big program from the Nat’l Dev Council and Startup Island Taiwan unveils 13 tech startups
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to invest near $3BN in advanced packaging facility in north of the country, citing boom in AI and multi-chip components as reasoning
- Taiwan: Foxconn to take 50% stake in Germany’s ZF Group axle system assembly unit in JV move towards greater auto and supply-chain opportunities and diversification
- Taiwan’s Foxconn and Analog Devices, US semiconductor developer, ink MOU to develop digital car cockpits and battery management system
Taipei Blockchain Week 2023 – December 11-16
- Taiwan: An intro to Phrozen 3D printing firm, its successes, challenges and opportunities
- India: Maharashtra offers Taiwan’s Gogoro ‘Ultra Mega Project’ to manufacture e-vehicles, battery packs and swap stations, and to deploy infrastructure from late 2023
- Vietnam: Taiwan’s Foxconn approved to invest $246M in 2 projects in Quang Ninh, raising total in Vietnam to near $3BN and focusing on manufacture and assembly of telecom and EV parts
- Japan: SBI Holdings financial services major to help Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp establish a factory in move to revive the country’s chip industry
- India: Taiwan’s Foxconn is in talks with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Japan’s TMH Group for tech and JV partnerships to start semiconductor fab units in India
SharePass: Online digital security solution
Indo-Pacific TECH news
All-day tech news updates from across the broad – and increasingly strategically and technologically important – Indo-Pacific region, and across South and Southeast Asia:
- Indo-Pacific tech daily on Twitter
- Indo-Pacific tech daily on Facebook
- Indo-Pacific tech news on LinkedIn
Our mobile app is currently offline, due to the ongoing devolution of what was Twitter, now X.
We aim to have the app back online with a much-improved interface and broader functionality by the end of 2023.
World Economic Forum: Space Applications in Agriculture
Indo-Pacific TECH newsletter
Our weekly e-newsletters go out via Substack and LinkedIn, giving a one-glance grasp of the week’s technology news from the Indo-Pacific and South & Southeast Asia.
