DIGI⁺ Taiwan

The 2019 Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) that opened Tuesday at the Nangang Exhibition Center will showcase artificial intelligence (AI) applications during its four-day run, according to organizers.

Now in its sixth year, the annual SCSE serves as an important avenue for Taiwan’s information and communication technology industry to present smart city solutions, and it has also become the largest Internet of Things (IoT) application exhibition in Asia, organizers said.

The SCSE is organized by the Taipei City government, the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance and the Taipei Computer Association (TCA).

A focal point of this year’s show will be an “AI 50” campaign, in which AI startup companies less than five years old from around the world have been invited by the organizers to demonstrate their smart city solutions.

Among the 52 AI startups from 19 countries invited by the AI 50 campaign, the SCSE selected 36 from 15 countries to showcase their efforts in the expo’s AI 50-themed pavilion, the organizers said.

The 36 AI firms include Taiwan’s AetherAI, Osense Technology, and the National Center for High-performance Computing, Japan’s AirHost Pte, Poland’s MIT Enterprise Forum, Singapore’s ROKA Technology, and Safehouse Technology of the Untied Kingdom, according to the SCSE website.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said Taiwan has played an important role in smart city development.

“Taiwan is not only a good partner in global manufacturing supply chains but has also been a good friend in promoting urban development and improving people’s lives,” Chen said.

The government is working to improve the speed of infrastructure by integrating resources between the central and local governments, leading to many smart city applications, he said.

Among the projects are the installation of more than 50,000 earth inductor compasses around the island to provide parking information to drivers, which could help reduce air pollution, and equipping industrial parks with air sensors to take on air pollution.

In addition, Chen said, Taiwan has built up smart health data through IoT technology, and by taking advantage of the information, the country may be better able to take care of people living in remote areas and senior citizens.

This year’s SCSE will feature 337 exhibitors, making it the largest SCSE in history, while a total of 128 mayors and representatives from 45 countries will attend the event, the organizers said.

In addition to Taiwan, the organizers said, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the U.K., Germany, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia and Spain will have their own smart city pavilions at the 2019 SCSE, the organizers said.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, TCA chief Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) said city cooperation is expected to bring economic prosperity, and he warned against economic protectionism undermining economic growth.

A total of 66 tech forums will be held at the expo to spur greater international cooperation, and the show is expected to attract more than 33,000 participants, the TCA said.

Date：2019-03-26
Source：Focus Taiwan