Best and Brightest AI Minds Celebrated at Taiwan's Inaugural Best AI Awards
TAIPEI, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report by DIGITIMES:
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) hosted the inaugural Best AI Award Competition on May 3, 2025, at the Taipei World Trade Center, Hall 1, aiming to strengthen Taiwan's AI talent pool and attract greater investment in AI research. The event drew 1,253 teams from 36 countries, with 233 advancing to the finals across AI Application and IC Design categories, segmented into Public Corporations, SMEs & Startups, Students, and International Teams.
Eight teams won Gold Awards: HiTRUSTpay, EYS3D Microelectronics, Daya Yoo, Jmem Tek, National Central University, National Taiwan University, Touch Lab (Philippines), and Arba Lab (UK). MOEA positioned the competition as Taiwan's Oscars for AI, fostering innovation, industry collaboration, and AI commercialization. Prizes range from NT$300,000 for student winners to NT$1 million for enterprises, startups, and international teams.
Deputy Minister Ho Chin-tsang emphasized AI's transformative role across industries, highlighting the competition's ability to bridge talent development with market needs. MOEA aims to sustain AI integration through policies and partnerships.
Director-General Kuo Chao-chung noted the event's strong international engagement, with 353 professionals from 36 countries. The ministry will continue collaborating with academia and industry to advance AI applications and talent cultivation.
Chiu Chui-hui, Director-General of the Industrial Development Administration, cited AI talent shortages as a key challenge, referencing a report ranking Taiwan 4th in AI infrastructure but significantly lower in talent (38th), research (27th), and commercialization (39th). The competition, with its 7.4% award selection rate, aims to accelerate practical AI adoption and professional development.
Winning projects demonstrated AI's diverse applications across ICT (18.4%), manufacturing (16.2%), healthcare (15.9%), retail (10.2%), education (8.6%), and finance (7.8%), with particular innovation in AIoT and edge AI integration.
MOEA plans to make the Best AI Awards an annual event, furthering Taiwan's AI development, talent cultivation, and commercialization efforts. Concurrent matchmaking events at COMPUTEX will connect teams with over 20 venture capitalists and buyers, fostering investment and collaboration opportunities.
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