To strengthen the dual strategy of chip and AI development and to showcase the diverse R&D achievements of the Nano 5 supercomputer in driving semiconductor innovation and industry upgrading, the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) under the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR) and guided by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), hosted the "Nano 5 - Semiconductor Industry Innovation and Upgrade Achievements Presentation." The event, held today (June 24) at NSTC’s Cybersecurity & Smart Technology R&D Building in Shalun, Tainan, attracted active participation from the industry, government, and academia.
The event showcased the key achievements of the "Nano 5 - Semiconductor Industry Innovation and Upgrade Call for Proposals," highlighting how the next-generation accelerator cluster-based supercomputer, developed by NCHC, is leveraging its high-performance computing (HPC) technologies to effectively drive innovation and advancement in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. These achievements provide strong momentum for the “Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program (Taiwan CbI).”
Taiwan's R&D Capabilities and Innovation Momentum of the Southern Semiconductor Cluster Boosted by the Nano 5 supercomputer
NSTC Minister Cheng-Wen Wu emphasized in his address, “In response to the new challenges of global technological competition, the government continues to invest in building world-class R&D infrastructure. We will continue to play a leading role in driving Taiwan’s scientific and technological development, promoting chip-based and AI-accelerated policies. The goal is to transform Taiwan into an innovation island where chips and AI converge, showcasing Team Taiwan’s vital role in the international community.”
NIAR President Hung-Yin Tsai said, “Through the HPC resources of the Nano 5 supercomputer, we are witnessing how AI and HPC are accelerating innovation in chip design and fabrication processes, creating a positive cycle between technological R&D and computing power applications. We will continue to build an open and shared innovation platform, strengthen industry-university collaboration, and drive the upgrading of the semiconductor industry. All these will inject strong momentum into Taiwan’s technology innovation.”
NCHC Director General Chau-Lyan Chang stated that the launch of the Nano 5 supercomputer marked the starting point of the “Taiwan CbI” to strengthen Taiwan’s R&D infrastructure. In the next four years, they would continue to expand its HPC systems. 15 achievements showcased today by courtesy of the project call ranged from design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and inspection, demonstrating comprehensive advancements in R&D efficiency, design quality, and energy efficiency. These results would further enhance the innovation momentum of the Southern Taiwan semiconductor cluster.
Major Achievements Unveiled to Showcase Taiwan’s Innovation Power
Today’s presentation featured three distinguished keynote speakers, each giving a thematic talk focused on the three key areas: chip design, manufacturing innovation, and system security. Thomas Li, Vice-president of the Product Management Group at Synopsys, delivered a keynote titled “Enabling Chip Design in the AI Era: From EDA to System-Level Innovation.” He provided an in-depth analysis of how EDA tools are evolving to meet the complex design demands driven by AI acceleration and explored how system-level integration impacts both chip performance and development efficiency. The keynote title of Hao-Chung Kuo, Director of the Semiconductor Research Center at the Hon Hai Research Institute, was “Semiconductor Manufacturing Innovation and Challenges Driven by High-performance Computing.” Drawing from practical experience, he discussed how integrating design and manufacturing processes can help build highly reliable wafer fabrication and advanced packaging platforms in the era of AI and HPC. PUFsecurity Vice President Sam Chung presented a keynote titled “AI and Data Center Chip Security Design in Chiplet Architecture.” He explained how physical unclonable functions (PUFs) and embedded security technologies can ensure computational trust and data integrity within the multi-die architecture, offering new solutions to the security of next-generation chip systems.
In addition, 15 corporations and academic institutions that participated in today’s event set up exhibition booths and shared their achievements, including Compal Electronics (in collaboration with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University), ASE Technology Holding, FLEXium (in collaboration with National Cheng Kung University), Alcor Micro (in collaboration with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University), PowerArena, Profet AI, KCWin (in collaboration with UnieAI), Upbeat technology, Jmem Tek, Acer Synergy Tech (in collaboration with UnieAI), National Yang Ming Chiao Yung University (NYCU), HEX, Phison Electronics, Alpenglow Tek, etc. They showcased a wide range of innovative applications, including circuit design optimization, low-power chips, edge AI chips, on-device inference chips, semiconductor photomask optimization, and the integration of generative AI into the semiconductor industry. They demonstrated the rich R&D achievements made possible through the effective use of the HPC resources provided by NCHC.
According to NCHC, the achievements showcased at the presentation demonstrate how the in-depth application of the Nano 5 supercomputer’s HPC resources can help Taiwan’s semiconductor industry overcome technological bottlenecks, enhance innovation capacity, and strengthen the overall resilience of the industrial supply chain. This enables Taiwan to remain as an irreplaceable key role in the global supply chain. As a strong pillar of support for the industry and the academia the Nano 5 supercomputer will provide robust technological backing for the sustainable development and innovation-driven advancement of Taiwan’s semiconductor sector, jointly shaping a more competitive digital future.
Date: 2025-06-24 Source: National Center for High-performance Computing