TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) attended the opening ceremony of the AI Expo Taiwan on Wednesday at the Taipei Expo Dome, highlighting the city’s efforts in artificial intelligence governance and fostering a friendly environment for industrial development.

Chiang said this was his second year attending the event, bringing together domestic and international AI industry partners. He said the expo has become a key platform for Taiwan to play an important role in the global AI revolution, per a press release.

He also praised Colley Hwang (黃欽勇), chair of the event, and publisher of a new book outlining Taiwan’s position in the global industrial supply chain. Hwang also founded local media outlet DigiTimes 30 years ago, contributing to technology reporting and supply chain insights.

Chiang said Taipei is the first city in Taiwan to establish AI operational guidelines, encouraging public sector agencies to incorporate AI into policymaking, while balancing innovation with legal compliance and risk management. He cited concrete results of AI implementation across city services. 

For example, AI has enabled Taipei’s 1999 citizen service hotline to experience a 90% increase in processing efficiency. In healthcare, Taipei City Hospital implemented AI to interpret emergency electrocardiograms and transmit data to hospitals in real time, saving about 14 minutes during ambulance transport. Meanwhile, the Taipei Water Department has reduced pipeline leakage rates from 26% to 9% through AI monitoring systems.

During his speech, Chiang noted that Taipei received the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize this year, marking the first time a Taiwanese city has received the honor. He thanked city officials and residents, calling the award recognition of Taipei’s achievements in smart governance.

Chiang also highlighted efforts to attract AI-related investment, including Wistron building a new R&D headquarters in Neihu and Google establishing its largest AI infrastructure R&D center outside the US in Taipei. He added that the city government signed an agreement with Nvidia in February to build its Taiwan headquarters.

He said these developments demonstrate Taipei’s growing role in the global AI supply chain and its attractiveness as a hub for research and development. Looking ahead, Chiang said Taipei will continue working with the National Science and Technology Council and industry partners to strengthen Taiwan’s AI ecosystem and maintain leadership in the sector over the next decade.