Grand Opening of the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park Program Office

The Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park in Kaohsiung is one of the major components of the government's Great South, Great Development policy focusing on development in southern Taiwan. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, National Development Council, Communications Commission, and Ministry of Culture joined hands with the Kaohsiung City Government to build the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park and the Startup Terrace, which were inaugurated today (December 6). Participants of the grand opening ceremony included president Tsai Ing-wen, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai, as well as representatives from AWS, LINE, Microsoft Taiwan, NVIDIA, Qisda Technology, Taiwan FamilyMart, Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, and the startup teams that entered the park. The opening ceremony began with a bottle being smashed to liken the unveiling of the park to the virgin voyage of a new ship. Additionally, a traditional Kaohsiung fisherman's flag (Tairyo-bata) was tied to a flag pole to symbolize the fruitful results the startups will reap.

President Tsai said that the opening of the Startup Terrace and the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park Program Office represented an ambitious central-local government initiative to balance development between northern and southern Taiwan as well as to begin Kaohsiung City's digital transformation. The Taiwanese government plans to invest over $NT10 billion in the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park for infrastructure development, talent nurturing, startup hub setup, field applications, and 5G AIoT smart facilities. The investment will encourage more companies to follow suit and create growth for the industry in Kaohsiung.

Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng said that the Startup Terrace is an international startup cluster that currently has 42 promising startup teams specializing in 5G AIoT, smart entertainment, and other smart applications ready to move in, including Insynerger, dudoo, Pumpkin Studio, NADI SYSTEM, and Uniigym. The optimized startup environment and guidance resources of the Startup Terrace will serve to help startups expand their market presence, connect with the world, and promote the release of their products or technologies through assistance from more mature companies in the spirit of corporate startup engagement (CSE). In the future, the Startup Terrace will invite international startup accelerators, as well as domestic and foreign private/state-owned enterprises to draw in international talents, capital, technologies, and markets and create a leading startup platform in southern Taiwan.

As for the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park Program Office, it will focus on the implementation of R&D results by conducting field validation and promoting commercialization at the AIoT demonstration area. The office will also incorporate the government-backed A+ Industrial Innovative R&D Program to accelerate technology implementation and investment in Kaohsiung.

The Great South, Great Development policy aims to drive development in southern Taiwan, which is especially pertinent for Kaohsiung since the city has long been a manufacturing and supply center for Taiwan and accumulated considerable industry presence. Going forward, the petrochemical, steel, and other industries of the region will start demanding 5G, AIoT, and other smart transformation services. In response, the Ministry of Economic Affairs will integrate government resources, such as scientific research grants and financial support, to promote collaboration between the local-based startups and existing industries. The park will also link to other venues such as the Kaohsiung Music Center, Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, TESL Kaohsiung eSports Arena, and Kaohsiung Port Terminal to realize the implementation of numerous 5G AIoT prospective technologies right in the city. These efforts will serve to establish the foundation for a domestic 5G AIoT startup environment and supply chain that will make the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park a leader in next-generation technology and a driver for 5G digital transformation in southern Taiwan.