NSF launches program to support Taiwan’s tech industry

ALEXANDRIA (TVBS News) — The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a program on Tuesday (April 9) supporting Taiwan's semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries.

This marks the first time the NSF has sponsored a series of seminars abroad, with the aim of discovering and funding companies exploring "deep tech" or cutting-edge fields, including biotech and quantum computing.

The NSF chose Taiwan for this initiative due to the country's increasingly important role in chip manufacturing and technology supply chains. The U.S. Department of Commerce has provided Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) with subsidies and loans totaling US$11.6 billion for the construction of three wafer factories in Arizona.

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said the foundation plans to gradually expand the program to U.S. allies. Michelle Kiang, a Taiwan-born co-founder of California's Impact Science Ventures, said U.S. startups need to establish strong global supply chains and businesses to drive the country's economic growth.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs supports the program. Wu Tsung-tsong, chairman of National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), said the government is seeking to change the difficult fundraising situation for Taiwanese tech startups.

NSTC plans to attract more overseas talent through a global tech startup competition, with winners given the opportunity to realize their ideas alongside Taiwanese companies, including TSMC.

In 2023, the Taiwanese government launched the Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program, injecting NT$300 billion (US$9.28 billion) over 10 years to stimulate industrial innovation in Taiwan.

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