TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The second annual Taiwan Tech Summit in California’s Silicon Valley took place at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Saturday (Sept. 16).

Under this year’s theme of “The Next Vision,” the summit showcased Taiwanese talent in cutting-edge tech fields, including AI and data science, hardware, biotech, and cybersecurity. Thousands of guests from Taiwan and the U.S. joined the event, with many participating and viewing forums online.

The annual Taiwan Tech Summit is designed to build bridges and foster opportunities between the top innovative minds and organizations in Silicon Valley and Taiwan, reported CNA. This year’s summit also included a Career Expo and recruitment area, which drew many international students and recent university graduates from around the Bay Area.

Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) delivered a personal message to the Taiwan Tech Summit, expressing his support for the annual event. Lai emphasized the important connections that have developed between Taiwan and Silicon Valley in recent decades and noted the entrepreneurial spirit that both places share, per CNA.

This year’s summit saw 10 select Taiwanese start-ups visit the Santa Clara Convention Center to showcase Taiwan’s cutting-edge development in AI, semiconductor technology, and information security. Representatives from over 100 U.S. business and industry associations were also present to network with Taiwanese businesses and organizations, and to hopefully collaborate in the future.