Adapting ICT and Growing Resilience to Face New Norm of Perpetual Disruption
Computex Daily, Taipei – Prior to the opening of COMPUTEX 2022 on Tuesday, organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) invited leaders of select cutting-edge global technology companies to share their thoughts with the international media regarding navigating the changing times. The press conference — themed “Digital Resilience for the Global ICT Industry” — served as a preface for the return of in-person events at the international trade show after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TAITRA chairman James Huang opened the conference by stating that the global information and communications technology (ICT) sector has been forced to adapt for survival during the pandemic.
“Perpetual disruption is the new normal,” Huang said, calling on panelists to share their insights on coping mechanisms and resilient strategies to help enterprises navigate this “best and hardest of times” for the ICT industry.
Taipei Computer Association (TCA) chairman Paul Peng said that the pandemic provided an opportunity for the TCA to self-reflect and look forward to a future with more potential.
The TCA has continued to invest in the research and development of advanced display and human-machine interface technologies, Peng said.
Taiwan’s reliable supply chain, great talent pool and agile economic environment are conducive to leveraging Taiwan as an experimental environment for investment, while its dependability as a supply chain partner and skilled, disciplined and productive research and development teams contribute to building a cornerstone of Taiwanese ICT resilience in the pandemic-stricken world.
Quanta Computer founder Barry Lam said that the company is focused on the development of metaverse computing and is transitioning from a device provider to a platform provider.
Meanwhile, Quanta is predicating its resilience strategy on mass manufacturing capabilities, he said, adding that the company is building a smart manufacturing facility that would allow it to ramp up production as needed.
Arm Taiwan president C.K. Tseng said that Arm has stepped up services to clients by introducing a new business model, Arm Flexible Access (AFA), which provides more flexibility for clients and also ensures that their customers would be creative using Arm computing components.
He said that to make Taiwan’s ICT sector more resilient, companies should embrace and trust the open community.
“I truly believe that by working cohesively, to leverage the digitization, we would be able to strengthen the resilience to overcome challenges brought about by this pandemic,” Tseng added.
Delta Electronics’ business focus is shifting to food systems and end-to-end solutions, said Tzi-cker Chiueh, director-general of the Delta Research Center.
Delta would apply wireless communication and sensing, artificial intelligence (AI) systems and cybersecurity protection to emerging societal problems facing the world in the next 20 years to combat pandemic-induced changes, he said.
Delta is taking a closer look at how to systematically and methodically design redundancies and margins into its manufacturing and logistics processes while extensively applying Internet of Things technology, as well as building up real-time and all-encompassing intelligence on business, manufacturing and the supply chain, he added.
Microsoft Taiwan general manager Ken Sun said that tech intensity is necessary to jump-start growth, which is what Microsoft customers are doing alongside reimagining their business priorities to navigate this new norm.
Reimagining is about building resilience and co-inventing the future, he said.
Microsoft encourages its customers to drive different business outcomes, leverage the common data platform to empower better decision-making for all employees and foster collaboration and the co-creation of new value within the ecosystem, he added.
In closing, Huang quoted Albert Einstein: “You can’t use an old map to explore a new world,” and urged attendees not to forget to visit the physical exhibition so that COMPUTEX can live up to its mission of helping others take on future challenges.
