South Korean leading tech conglomerates Naver and Kakao have placed artificial intelligence firmly at the core of their future strategies, as evidenced by recent shareholder meetings. However, despite this shared focus, the companies are pursuing markedly different approaches shaped by distinct leadership styles and internal priorities, reports ETNews and ZDNet Korea.

Huawei Chairman Liang Hua said at the Guangdong High-Quality Development Conference in early February that the company's total sales revenue for 2024 surpassed CNY860 billion (approx. US$118.42 billion).

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), smart healthcare and digital health are entering a new era of possibilities. In response, the Taiwanese government is leveraging biomedical big data and AI-driven computing to develop innovative biomedical solutions and foster an industry-academia alliance for smart healthcare.

DeepSeek has allowed the public to witness the explosive growth of AI applications and the renewed hope brought by AI models undergoing repeated calculations. However, the questions of commercializing AI models and extending user engagement with AI super applications remain unresolved.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) promoted Chyou-Huey Chiou to director general of the Industrial Development Administration (IDA) on March 26. The ceremony was presided over by MOEA Deputy Minister Cynthia Kiang.

With AI and autonomous learning capabilities promising to reshape industrial manufacturing, leading industrial automation firms Siemens and Rockwell Automation have both recently offered their insights into the Industry 4.0 era.

At the AI Expo hosted by DIGITIMES, Trend Micro's general manager for Taiwan and Hong Kong, Bob Hung, has identified prompt injection as a growing cybersecurity risk associated with large language models (LLMs). He also warned that users are increasingly manipulating AI through sentimental narratives and role-playing techniques, such as the "grandma prompt," to bypass content restrictions and generate prohibited material.

Uni-President Group, a major Taiwanese conglomerate, has made significant moves to strengthen its foothold in the e-commerce space, announcing recent acquisitions of Yahoo Taiwan's e-commerce business and a 30% stake in PChome Online, Taiwan's largest online retailer. This strategic investment also grants Uni-President two seats on PChome's board, aligning with the company's broader business expansion goals.

The fourth AI Expo, organized by DIGITIMES, has officially kicked off. Taiwan's Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao attended the event, while Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo delivered a speech during the opening ceremony. AI Fund managing general partner Andrew Ng, industry representatives from AWS, Microsoft, Etron, and Trend Micro were also present at the inauguration.

Industry sources suggest that Google has landed a major project with Foxconn (Hon Hai Group) valued at over NT$3 billion (US$90.74 million). This alliance is expected to boost Foxconn's 3+3 transformation and help Google gain a prominent client in the cloud market for high-tech manufacturing.

Highlighting the convergence of smart cities and net-zero development, this year's Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) drew significant global participation, with 138 cities from 59 countries and regions represented. The four-day event, which concluded on March 21, 2025, at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, welcomed over 110,000 professionals worldwide, including nearly 100 city mayors.

The British Office in Taipei hosted the UK-Taiwan Venture Capital Summit on March 20, highlighting its push for Taiwanese companies to invest in the UK, as well as strengthening ties between the hi-tech industries in the UK and Taiwan.

Nvidia has significantly elevated the visibility of Taiwan's supply chain, resulting in increased participation of Taiwanese startups at the GTC 2025 in the US. The participating companies span various AI disciplines including GPU management, large language models (LLM), and spatial computing. These AI software startups are establishing partnerships with server manufacturers to deliver comprehensive services that integrate AI models with hardware, demonstrating Nvidia's far-reaching influence across the industry.

Oracle has announced a partnership with Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to deliver independent cloud and AI services, marking its first such collaboration in Southeast Asia. The initiative aims to enhance MINDEF's intelligence analysis and decision-making capabilities amidst increasing cyber threats in the region, according to Reuters and Oracle's press release.

eCloudvalley, a cloud service platform, is nurturing startups through its AIoT software systems, including the spun-off eCloudEdge Digital Innovation, which has teamed up with seven industrial PC (IPC) partners. To meet rising energy needs, eCloudEdge has created a hydrogen monitoring solution that attracts clients to Singapore.

Taboola, the world's leading advertising content recommendation company, has expanded its presence in Taiwan with the official launch of its flagship Taiwan Office and AI R&D Center on March 18, 2025. The event was attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and other government agencies.

Tencent revealed strong 2024 results, alongside a strategic AI focus. The company is pursuing a measured approach, prioritizing practical applications in ads, games, and cloud services, contrasting with competitors' more aggressive AI pushes.

Jackie Lee, president of Altos Computing, forecasts that 2025 will mark the beginning of enterprise AI, driven by increasing AI application adoption. He predicts double-digit growth, particularly in India. To support this, Altos has partnered with local EMS manufacturers to produce servers compliant with Made in India regulations.

Acer ITS is expanding into Taiwan's entertainment machine market, including Pokemon and claw machines, leveraging its expertise in hardware and software integration from public transportation systems. President Kenny Yu highlighted plans to grow internationally, with a memorandum of understanding already signed with Thailand for charging stations.

Industry insiders suggest that since Huawei was placed on the US Entity List in 2019, the company has faced continuous challenges in obtaining related technologies. The license for Windows operating systems for personal computers (PCs) is set to expire in March, raising concerns that ongoing pressure from the US may hinder Huawei's ability to secure a renewal agreement with Microsoft.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang took the stage at GTC 2025, unveiling a slew of hardware advancements and AI infrastructure breakthroughs that position the company as a leader in the rapidly evolving US$1 trillion AI computing landscape.

Syscom Computer Engineering has utilized Microsoft technology to create an AI regulatory inquiry system for the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration under the Executive Yuan. The system highlights cognitive search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) as its core technologies, providing enhanced accuracy and customization for enterprise applications.

WebComm Technology, a leading provider of digital identity verification and cybersecurity solutions, reported a record-breaking revenue of NT$518 million (US$15.75 million) in 2024, with gross margins climbing even higher. The company originally focused on serving financial institutions and has recently expanded its business scope, securing clients in the high-tech manufacturing and industrial PC (IPC) sectors.

At the recently concluded Embedded World 2025, Infineon showcased its analog chip technologies for power management and sensors, including a wide range of microcontroller (MCU) solutions. It plans to officially launch its premium PSOC Edge product line in the summer of 2025, marking a significant milestone in Infineon's new domain.

DeepSeek's meteoric rise has triggered a surge of aggressive marketing tactics in the AI sector. Companies are now capitalizing on artificial scarcity to drive revenue, and Manus has become a prime example of this strategy.