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The SEMICON Taiwan 2025 international semiconductor exhibition opened on September 10, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' (MOEA) Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) unveiling the "MOEA Technology R&D Pavilion." Jointly organized with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), the pavilion features 37 advanced technologies developed in collaboration with leading partners including ASE, CXsemi, New Smart Technology, Millitronic, and Test Research Inc. The showcase highlights Taiwan's strong R&D capacity in AI chips, advanced manufacturing and testing equipment, and compound semiconductors.
Two groundbreaking innovations drew strong attention. The first is a silicon photonics chip engineered for high-speed, low-power transmission. Leveraging high-density heterogeneous integration and low-loss optical design, it addresses critical data bottlenecks in AI-driven data centers. The second is the world's first 3D customizable universal chip module: a building-block innovation that boosts product development efficiency by 70%. Together, these technologies have already attracted more than NT$2.4 billion (US$74 million) in industry investment, accelerating the deployment of AIoT applications.
DoIT Deputy Director General Chung-Pin Chou highlighted that global data center traffic has expanded more than 70-fold between 2010 to 2024, fueled by generative AI and high-performance computing (HPC). In response to these challenges, the DoIT has invested nearly NT$40 billion (US$1.25 billion) over the past five years in areas including AI, HPC, silicon photonics, advanced packaging, and compound semiconductors. These initiatives aim to strengthen chip hardware-software integration and build a resilient, self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem in Taiwan.
Among recent achievements, ITRI developed Taiwan's first 1.6 Tbps silicon photonics optical engine module, achieving Nvidia GTC 2025 international performance benchmarks. In partnership with ASE and other firms, ITRI also established the Open Silicon Photonics Platform, offering one-stop services covering design, manufacturing, integration, and testing to speed up data center upgrades.
In packaging, ITRI's innovative 3D customizable universal chip module enables chips to be combined like Lego blocks without starting from scratch. This approach shortens development time by 70%, reduces costs, and has already supported more than 133 companies, drawing over NT$2.1 billion (US$65 million) of new investment.
These advances are fueling a new wave of AIoT innovation while elevating Taiwan's position as a global semiconductor leader. By bridging technology gaps and reinforcing supply chain resilience, Taiwan is laying the foundation for the next era of high-performance computing and intelligent applications worldwide.