Taiwan wants its own Silicon Valley, the headquarters of Apple, Facebook, Google and other technology companies

The Executive Yuan (Government) of Taiwan approved a plan to create a “new Silicon Valley” in the south of the island, amid the authorities’ efforts to position Taiwan as one of the nerve centers in the global development of the artificial intelligence (IA), official sources reported.

The project will link several scientific and industrial parks in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, turning them into a kind of S-shaped semiconductor corridor that will “comprehensively improve industrial capabilities” to “facilitate Taiwan’s entry into the era of AI applications,” said Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai in statements collected by the Executive Yuan.

The official stressed that this measure, whose budget allocation has not been disclosed, “will promote a new vision” for southern Taiwan.

“By promoting this new version of a Silicon Valley, the plan will continue to capitalize on the region’s existing international advantages in industries such as semiconductors, biotechnology, medical devices, precision machinery and green solar energy, while expanding into sectors such as drones , the space industry and smart agriculture,” said Cho.

Home to the leading semiconductor manufacturer (TSMC) and the world’s largest electronics assembler (Foxconn), Taiwan is benefiting from the boom in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing: the island’s GDP grew by 4.89% in the second quarter and 4.17% in the third thanks to the strong push from exports.