[International] France's VivaTech Taiwan Pavilion Showcases AI Strength, Foxconn's Debut Deepens European Expansion

The Paris tech event VivaTech opened on the 17th, marking Taiwan's 8th participation. Thirty-four startups showcased their prowess in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Foxconn Technology Group also set up a pavilion for the first time, displaying advanced AI server rack systems and intelligent AI solutions. VivaTech is one of Europe's largest tech and startup exhibitions, now in its 10th year. It features leading companies like Microsoft and Airbus, as well as startups from various countries, such as the emerging French quantum computing startup Alice & Bob. The National Science and Technology Council's "Taiwan Tech Arena" (TTA) established a pavilion themed "AI Taiwan." Officially unveiled at noon today, it highlights Taiwan's achievements in AI technology and applications, focusing on how AI can build smart living circles. Participating companies have integrated AI into training, security, energy, retail, and other sectors. European tech industry professionals who visited the Taiwan pavilion last year noted that this year's pavilion appears larger and is highly visible even within the vast, bustling exhibition hall. Lin De-sheng, Director of the Industry-Academia Cooperation and Park Management Division of the National Science and Technology Council, stated in an interview that this is the 8th year of participation. He observed a shift in the trend for Taiwanese startups exhibiting: previously, the focus was on learning and participation, but "starting last year, we changed our mindset to aim for doing business and securing orders." He added that because of this, startups need to make adjustments, such as having ambition, participating in exhibition competitions, ensuring a complete supply chain for order fulfillment and production, and having a strategy for the European market. Lin pointed out that with this shift, companies are collaborating with their supply chain partners to enter the market. Previously, securing orders exceeding NT$100 million was considered good, but last year saw growth of over 5 to 6 times. Therefore, this year, they are working harder to implement this model. The 34 participating startups are supported by as many as 61 supply chain manufacturers. Julie Lamande, VivaTech's Global Partnerships and PR Manager, represented the event at the opening ceremony of the Taiwan pavilion. In an interview with CNA, she said, "Taiwan's ecosystem is extremely important to us at VivaTech." She noted that with more participating companies this year than last, it fully demonstrates the booming development of Taiwan's tech and AI industries. Coupled with Foxconn's participation with its own pavilion this year, the overall momentum is even greater, "significantly reflecting Taiwan's importance in many global industry ecosystems, especially in AI and semiconductors." Foxconn's exhibition area, across the aisle from the Taiwan pavilion, features a black and a white smart electric vehicle, along with an AI server rack system, attracting considerable attention. Foxconn Vice President and Spokesperson W.C. Wu stated that this is Foxconn's debut at VivaTech, where they are showcasing their latest technological products targeting four major potential business opportunities in Europe: the automotive industry, AI server rack systems, AI data centers, and smart manufacturing. Foxconn brought two prototype reference vehicles, MODEL B (BRIA) and MODEL D. They also presented the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72, making its European debut, and introduced the NVIDIA-approved Asia Silicon Valley Supercomputing Center. In terms of smart manufacturing, they showcased a humanoid robot. W.C. Wu explained that Foxconn is no longer just a hardware manufacturer but has transformed into a technology platform service provider. Through these products, Foxconn emphasizes offering intelligent manufacturing, smart electric vehicle, and smart city solutions, rather than single components or products, but rather a series of services. He also mentioned that under the concept of sovereign AI, Foxconn has received cooperation intentions from many European countries and is currently discussing possibilities. This indicates that the AI industry still has significant development potential, which can be achieved through Foxconn's "Build, Operate, Localize" (BOL) business model for a win-win situation. He added, "Given Foxconn's global position in technology, strategic alliance projects like these will certainly increase in the future, and we are optimistic about them." Hao Pei-tsu, Representative to France, also expressed high confidence in the unstoppable development of Taiwanese enterprises in the AI wave. She pointed out that Europe, facing a new geopolitical landscape, is emphasizing re-industrialization and de-risking. In this context, European countries developing AI technology are eager to cooperate with Taiwan because Taiwan not only possesses advanced chips but also holds significant advantages in AI servers and software/hardware, making it a trustworthy partner. (Editor: Liu Hsiang-hua)