Jensen Huang, NVIDIA CEO: "In the AI Era, a Golden Opportunity for Taiwan"

Dinner with 14 CEOs of Taiwanese IT Companies
"Discussing the Establishment of Next-Generation Global Science and Technology Industry"
"Taiwan Remains at the Center of the World"

Jensen Huang (Chinese name Huang Renxun), CEO of NVIDIA, emphasized that Taiwan has a golden opportunity in the AI era.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, who is visiting Taiwan, was surrounded by a crowd of reporters while visiting the Taipei night market on the 30th.
[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

On the 31st (local time), according to Taiwan media such as China Times, Huang, who is visiting Taiwan, held a private dinner the previous day at a restaurant in Taipei with top executives from Taiwan's IT industry.

The dinner hosted by CEO Huang was attended by 14 CEOs, including Liu Yangwei, Chairman of Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry), Tong Zixian, Chairman of Pegatron (Heshuo), Inventec, Quanta Group, Delta Electronics, Wistron, and Chunghwa Telecom.

After leaving the restaurant, he told reporters, "The IT industry has entered a new era due to AI," adding, "This has brought a golden opportunity to Taiwan. Taiwan will continue to be at the center of the global science and technology industry."

CEO Huang also added, "At today's meeting, we exchanged ideas related to building the next-generation global science and technology industry."

Taiwan media reported that during the dinner, there was also a friendly discussion related to Computex, the information technology exhibition opening in Taipei on the 4th of next month.

Due to NVIDIA's explosive growth, Huang, who is one of the most watched figures worldwide recently, appeared in downtown Taipei, where citizens requested autographs and handed him baseballs. Local media also reported a humorous incident where he accidentally revealed his upcoming ceremonial first pitch schedule.

Meanwhile, Guo Zhuhui, the newly appointed Minister of Economic Affairs in the Lai Ching-te administration, stated that Taiwan can sustain itself for the next 50 years with AI chips and servers, according to local media.

At his first press briefing the previous day, Minister Guo dismissed concerns about the "Dutch Disease" due to concentrated investment in Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company.

The Dutch Disease refers to the economic downturn experienced by the Netherlands in the late 1950s after discovering large natural gas fields in the North Sea, which led to a surge in income but caused the domestic currency to appreciate sharply, resulting in a loss of competitiveness in manufacturing.

Minister Guo emphasized that the value of the semiconductor industry is different from natural resources and highlighted that the semiconductor industry has built Taiwan's economy over the past 50 years.

He further projected that since Taiwan currently produces 80-90% of high-end servers, Taiwan will be able to sustain itself for the next 50 years thanks to AI chips and servers.

In this regard, Liu Ching-ching, Chairperson of the National Development Council (NDC), stated in a Legislative Yuan (parliament) report that Taiwan's global market shares for servers and storage equipment, foundries, and integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing are 90%, 65%, and 53%, respectively.

She added that the global market shares for high-end bicycles, IC design, and electronic components are 19.8%, 17.3%, and 16.2%, respectively, and explained plans to increase these industry shares to 30%.

She concluded by stating that Taiwan will expand its influence on the global supply chain through six industries, making Taiwan "a country where the sun never sets economically."