Taiwan aims to becomes artificial intelligence island by 2029

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Taiwanese authorities are intensifying their efforts to develop the Sovereign Artificial Intelligence (AI) program, aiming to increase the total computational capacity in both the public and private sectors to 1,200 petaflops by 2029, Azernews reports.

The goal of the program is to transform Taiwan into an "AI island," according to officials.

Currently, government computing power in Taiwan is about 19 petaflops. However, including the private sector, the total reaches 103 petaflops. By the end of 2024, Taiwan is projected to reach 11th place globally in terms of total computing power (following the United States, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, China, France, Spain, and South Korea), as highlighted by the newspaper.

In early 2025, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) announced plans to boost the combined performance of state-owned supercomputers to 480 petaflops by 2029. With the inclusion of the private sector, the goal is to exceed 1,200 petaflops by that year, as reported by the Taipei Times, citing NSTC data.

A Taiwanese supercomputer equipped with AI technology is expected to begin operations in May of this year. The government also plans to build a large data processing center to house supercomputer servers and massive data warehouses. According to NSTC, the opening of the cloud data center is set for the end of this year, while the AI computing data center in Tainan City is scheduled for completion by 2029.

This ambitious initiative could have far-reaching implications for Taiwan's economy, boosting innovation in sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. The integration of advanced AI systems could foster breakthroughs in industries such as semiconductors, where Taiwan already holds a global leadership position. Additionally, Taiwan's AI infrastructure development is likely to attract international partnerships, further enhancing its reputation as a tech hub. Moreover, the increased computational power could play a critical role in climate modeling, smart cities, and national security, giving Taiwan a competitive edge on the global stage.