AI Taiwan

U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) company Graphen signed a letter intent to invest in Taiwan with Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) in New York on July 31.

Graphen plans to expand its Taipei research and development (R&D) center, and hopes to cultivate Taiwan’s technological talent.

The letter was signed during an investment seeking mission headed by Kung. The delegation arrived in New York on July 29 and met with numerous AI and biotech companies. The delegation will travel to Chicago on August 1 to speak with aircraft manufacturer Boeing about collaboration, before rounding out their trip in San Francisco.

Graphen, founded in 2017, is a New York-based technology company that focuses on financial and healthcare industries, and has offices in Austin, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taipei.

Graphen CEO Lin Ching-yung (林清詠) told CNA that the company plans to build a Taiwan team of dozens, maybe even over one hundred, with the goal of commercializing next generation technology.

Graphen wants to combine R&D capabilities of Taiwan and the U.S., and wants to help Taiwan become a world leader in AI, he added.

Kung told CNA that Graphen’s AI, particularly anti-money laundering technology can be immediately applied to Taiwan’s financial community and that Taiwan and the U.S. can jointly collaborate on research and development projects.

Kung said that Taiwan is pushing forward with digital-based economic development, and the cultivation of Taiwanese skill in this area is imperative.

Taiwan hopes to develop further forms of international cooperation, he added.

Lin said that Graphen has collaborated with National Chengchi University’s (國立政治大學) Fintech Research Center, and is in negotiation to collaborate with Academia Sinica, National Defense Medical College, and other medical centers.

Taiwan has become a center of AI investment in recent times, with Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo all investing in AI R&D centers in Taiwan.

Date：2018-07-19
Source：Taiwan News