TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬) on Wednesday addressed the 23rd Global Leaders Forum in Taipei, stressing that technological innovation must arise from free and fair competition among private enterprises, not government-led initiatives.
Lin said the Ministry of Digital Affairs supports the development of Taiwan’s artificial intelligence industry through five major policy tools: computing power, data, talent, marketing, and funding to build a robust national AI ecosystem, per CNA.
Citing examples such as ChatGPT and Gemini in the US and DeepSeek and Qwen in China, Lin noted that these AI models were all created by private companies. “The software industry requires immense flexibility,” he said. “Only private enterprises have the vitality and resilience to meet challenges." Lin believes the government’s role is to build the ecosystem and not to "jump in and do it themselves.”
Drawing from his own entrepreneurial experience, Lin recalled that when he started his business over 20 years ago, all he needed was a personal computer. By contrast, a single Nvidia DGX H100 processor now costs over NT$10 million (US$323,000), forcing entrepreneurs to face tough decisions.
“Should I mortgage my house to buy a server?” he asked, explaining that MODA provides free computing power to support startups in their initial AI experiments. “Even if the experiment fails, congratulations, your house is still there.”
Lin said government-owned copyrighted materials have been opened up as high-quality training data to help startups develop more relevant and competitive models. To address talent shortages, MODA has introduced AI industry certification guidelines defining roles and competencies across application, development, and R&D levels.
He also highlighted the importance of marketing and matchmaking. MODA organizes events connecting AI solution providers with potential clients to create tangible business opportunities.
Lin announced that MODA is advancing the “Strengthening Investment in AI Startups Implementation Plan,” which aims to channel NT$10 billion (US$323 million) from the National Development Fund into promising AI startups to help them scale and enter global markets.
Lin added that AI applications could address industry-specific challenges, such as improving record-keeping and management efficiency in long-term care institutions. He emphasized that the government would continue fostering an environment conducive to AI innovation and industrial transformation.
