STILL NEEDED: Demand for AI hardware remains robust and Taiwan should continue building on its strengths while expanding into global markets, a researcher said
- By William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNA
An Nvidia Corp executive on Saturday emphasized Taiwan’s importance to the US chip giant and its supply chains during a forum in Mountain View, California.
In his keynote address at the US-Taiwan High-Tech Forum at the Computer History Museum, Nvidia Corp vice president of robotics and edge artificial intelligence (AI) Deepu Talla highlighted NVIDIA’s close relationship with Taiwan, saying the company “loves Taiwan.”
Topics at this year’s forum, presented by the Silicon Valley chapter of the North America Taiwanese Engineering and Science Association (NATEA-SV) and cohosted by the National Science and Technology Council, included AI agents, robotics and sovereign AI.
Nvidia Corp vice president of robotics and edge artificial intelligence Deepu Talla gives a speech at the US-Taiwan High-Tech Forum in Mountain View, California, on Saturday.Photo: CNA
After outlining Nvidia’s overall AI strategy, including its computing infrastructure and model ecosystem, Talla discussed how agentic AI could accelerate robotics development and the progress and challenges involved in bringing physical AI to large-scale commercial applications.
His remarks followed the resignation of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) as the company’s chief executive officer.
Talla expanded on the AI industry framework and technological strategy previously outlined by Huang, including his concept of the “five-layer AI cake,” which encompasses energy, chips, infrastructure, models and applications.
Talla repeatedly highlighted Taiwan’s role in Nvidia’s operations, describing the nation as an indispensable part of the company’s supply chain. He also displayed a slide reading “Nvidia Loves Taiwan,” underscoring the longstanding cooperation between the company and Taiwan.
He reiterated the message at the conclusion of his speech, drawing enthusiastic applause from members of the technology industry attending the event.
Huang’s resignation has sent shock waves through Silicon Valley and sparked renewed discussion about the direction of the AI industry.
Demand for AI hardware remains robust, Stanford Taiwan Center for Science, Technology and Innovation executive director Wesley Chu (朱宸佐) said.
Taiwan must continue building on its strengths and expand into global markets, particularly the US, he said.
Technological cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and the US remain close, said Andrea Hsu (許增如), director of the Science and Technology Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco.
She expressed confidence that the ties between the two countries’ technology industries would endure despite geopolitical changes and shifts in industry conditions.
Bill Chung (鍾毓軒), an NATEA-SV board member and organizer of the US-Taiwan High-Tech Forum, said that recent events have prompted broader reflection on corporate management models, including the role of founders in business development and how companies can sustain long-term growth following leadership changes.
He said these issues could be explored at next year’s forum.