In partnership with the Southern Taiwan Silicon Valley Promotion Office (STSVPO), the Tainan City Government organized the first AI Impact: Smart City and Greater Southern Taiwan Achievements Showcase at the Cybersecurity and Smart Technology R&D Building and the AI Innovation Application Building. Mayor Huang Wei-che and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim attended the opening ceremony together, demonstrating the central and local governments’ commitment to advancing AI and smart city development, and marking a key milestone for smart technology development in the Greater Southern Region.
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim stated in her remarks that while Taiwan has long maintained a low profile in the global technology supply chain, it consistently plays a pivotal role. The central government is actively promoting the “Balanced Taiwan” vision, with the Greater Southern Silicon Valley as a national strategy, anchored in Tainan’s Shalu Smart Green Energy Science City. This links industrial corridors across Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung to drive regional development. She noted that amid global AI competition, Taiwan cannot rely solely on hardware advantages. The government has launched the AI New Top 10 Construction Projects, covering photonics, quantum computing, and smart robotics, to bring AI out of labs into urban governance and everyday industries for widespread application.
Mayor Huang Wei-che remarked that the event, which gathers key partners from academia and industry, showcases Tainan’s cross-domain AI integration capabilities while boosting confidence in smart city applications. He highlighted the city government’s role as a bridge between R&D and practical applications, integrating AI into city governance - such as using data tools to expedite post-typhoon damage assessments and subsidy application processes, and applying AI to asbestos shingle removal, dengue prevention, and initial traffic accident assessment - to enhance administrative efficiency and service quality.
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-Wen stated that the Greater Southern Silicon Valley Promotion Program represents a vital strategy for Taiwan’s AI era, emphasizing AI industry growth, practical applications, and sovereign AI development. It also uses AI to drive digital transformation in southern traditional industries, linking science parks with local needs to embed technology into daily life. This forum serves as a key platform for exchanges between tech sectors in Taiwan and the world and deepens industry-academia-research collaboration to accelerate local industry upgrades.
Mayor Huang Wei-che also accompanied Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and other guests on a tour through Tainan’s achievement displays. At the AI CITY zone, they learned about sovereign computing infrastructure and related AI applications. In the transportation section, they received briefings on smart road safety, pedestrian protection, and parking optimization, gaining deeper insight into how AI enhances city operations.