To accelerate urban digital transformation and strengthen industrial innovation momentum, the Taichung City Government’s Digital Development Bureau held the “Taichung Digital Industry Development Forum” yesterday (13th) at the Taiwan Boulevard Municipal Building. The forum gathered a diverse range of experts and industry representatives, including former Feng Chia University President Lee Bing-Chian, III Software Technology Institute Director Meng Yi-Heng, III Cybersecurity Institute Director Lee Rong-San, Shelton Chan, Executive Director for International Affairs, Asia-Pacific Region at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Chairman Chang Jung-Kuei of an artificial intelligence company. Through keynote speeches and interdisciplinary dialogues, the event delved into trends and strategic advantages of Taichung’s smart development, aiming to jointly create a new digital economic engine for the city. Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-Hsin attended on behalf of Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen and expressed gratitude for the support from all sectors, highlighting the city government’s determination to advance its smart city initiatives and industrial upgrading.

Deputy Mayor Cheng noted that Taichung is a major manufacturing and precision machinery hub in Taiwan, with comprehensive industrial clusters, transportation advantages, and abundant talent resources, making it highly promising for industrial development. In the face of rapid changes brought by generative AI, geopolitical tensions, and tariff wars, it is crucial to build an open, shared, and innovative digital industrial ecosystem through collaboration among the government, industry, and academia. This will help enterprises build resilient operations to meet various industrial challenges, and it will be a key to Taichung’s emergence as an international digital city.

Digital Development Bureau Director Lin Ku-Lung stated that under Mayor Lu’s strategic vision that “Digital Power is Urban Competitiveness,” the Digital Governance Bureau was established in 2022 to invest in digital infrastructure and promote diverse digital services and smart applications. This year, it was renamed the “Digital Development Bureau” to transition from “governance” to “development,” emphasizing cross-departmental internal collaboration and external industrial partnerships. The bureau aims to become a driving force and strong support for industrial innovation, enhancing the city’s digital resilience and innovation capabilities and accelerating the realization of a smart city.

Director Lin explained that to build a smarter Taichung and expedite industrial upgrading, the city government actively promotes collaboration among academia, industry, and research institutions and fosters consensus on cooperation. This includes partnerships with Feng Chia University and III to integrate III’s cutting-edge technologies such as AI smart transportation, unmanned inspections, and smart lampposts with Feng Chia University’s exclusive “5G private network” in Taiwan to create a smart city demonstration site in Taichung. Furthermore, the city facilitates collaboration between Tunghai University and Georgia Institute of Technology to establish Taiwan’s first humanoid robot innovation platform, focusing on robotics R&D, AI applications, and supply chain reconstruction, creating a next-generation smart manufacturing base. The city government will continue investing resources and partnering with industry and academia to implement Taichung’s smart city vision and position itself for the AI era.

Director Lin emphasized that this forum combined cross-disciplinary expertise and experience to build consensus and provide valuable direction for future policy-making by the city government. Facing ongoing technological transformations, the city will continue to guide policies, integrate resources, enhance digital infrastructure, and promote innovative application development. It will also work with central Taiwan universities and III to cultivate professional talent, building a resilient and sustainable smart industrial ecosystem and injecting new momentum into Taichung’s industrial transformation and the vision of a livable, prosperous city.

According to the Digital Development Bureau, the forum featured III Software Technology Institute Director Meng Yi-Heng delivering the first keynote speech on “Trends in Digital Industry Development,” analyzing the impact of global AI technology evolution on industrial structures. He mentioned that if Taichung can combine its technological strengths with regional industrial characteristics and advantages to build a shared digital platform and reduce duplicated development, it would have a strong chance of standing out in global digital competition. The second keynote was delivered by Associate Professor Yeh Mei-Ling of Feng Chia University, titled “Strategies for Taichung’s Digital Industry Development,” providing an in-depth analysis of Taichung’s strengths in industrial foundation, entrepreneurial environment, and talent resources. She suggested enhancing industry-academia cooperation and constructing cross-disciplinary platforms to better align technology policies, R&D outcomes, and application fields, thereby boosting overall industrial competitiveness.

The Digital Development Bureau also noted that following the keynote speeches, a panel discussion was held with representatives from the Digital Development Bureau, Economic Development Bureau, Taichung Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Committee (IDIPC), universities, and industry. They exchanged insights on innovation, talent cultivation, data governance, and smart applications, offering many forward-looking suggestions.

Participants at the forum included Deputy Mayor Cheng, Digital Development Bureau Director Lin Ku-Lung, IDIPC Secretary-General Huang Yu-Shan, Deputy Secretary-General Lin Chia-Hsing, former Feng Chia University President Lee Bing-Chian, Distinguished Professor Chou Tian-Ying of Feng Chia University, Tunghai University Vice President Chang Chia-Hsiu, Tunghai University CIO Yang Chao-Tung, Ling Tung University Vice President Wang Chao-Hua, Ling Tung University CIO Chen Chien-Wen, National Chung Hsing University Chief Secretary Lee Chang-Yen, Chaoyang University of Technology Associate Vice President for R&D Liu Su-Juan, III Software Technology Institute Director Meng Yi-Heng, III Cybersecurity Institute Director Lee Rong-San, Shelton Chan of Georgia Tech, Taiwan Cybersecurity Alliance Secretary-General Hung Jui-Chuan, Taiwan Cybersecurity Association Secretary-General Hung Po-Yueh, Taichung Computer Association Chairman Lee Kuo-Jung, Chairman Chang Jung-Kuei of an artificial intelligence company, and Taichung Machine Tool Sustainability Officer Huang Yi-Ying.