To embrace AI innovation and inject cutting-edge international technology resources, while assisting local talent in mastering two key areas—smart transformation and digital trust—the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) and Microsoft Taiwan have jointly hosted the 9th "DevDays Asia 2024" which grandly opened on 12th August. The conference spanned across northern and southern Taiwan, taking place from Monday, August 12 to Wednesday, August 14 at the Huanan International Conference Center in Taipei and continuing until Friday, August 16 at the Kaohsiung Marriott Hotel. This year’s theme, "Ignite · Leap into the AI Era, Move · Forge Innovative Layouts Together," focused on Microsoft Copilot, Generative AI, and AI PCs. The event included trend forums, expert discussions, live exchanges with U.S. technology experts, GitHub Copilot technical workshops, and demonstrations of innovative AI applications.

During the opening ceremony in Taipei, Minister Yennun Huang of MODA emphasized that the rapid development of AI has garnered significant global attention, particularly as generative AI transformed our lives, work, and digital habits. To seize the opportunities within Taiwan's future digital economy, MODA has secured NT$10 billion from National Development Council (NDC) to build an AI ecosystem. Moving forward, MODA will continue collaborating with major companies like Microsoft to attract investment, cultivate talent, and support startups. The goal was set  to ignite creativity in domestic AI application development with the latest tools and ideas from Microsoft, expanding Taiwan’s market reach globally.

Since last year (2023), MODA's Administration for Digital Industries has collaborated with Microsoft to promote a mentoring program that has resulted in the implementation of over 100 solutions. Fourteen of the mentored companies were also showcasing their solutions at both the Taipei and Kaohsiung events, covering AI, cloud computing, and business applications. These included the MediaTek DaVinci Generative AI platform designed to accelerate AI and machine learning tasks; the Noise Eraser audio post-production service using AI to reduce noise; Meeting Ink providing comprehensive AI-assisted meeting summaries; and Cloud SOC, a cloud information security solution creating a secure cloud environment.

In response to the rapid growth of AI, MODA enhanced the value of the digital economy through initiatives in startups, mentoring, and investment. MODA has secured a NT$10 billion fund from NDC, aiming to build an AI ecosystem integrating upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors—from technology R&D, product manufacturing to customer application—eventually spreading worldwide. The goal was to achieve a digital economy output exceeding one trillion NT dollars by 2026. Through this year’s DevDays Asia 2024 event, we brought a diverse array of AI-focused keynote speeches, technical lectures, and hands-on workshops to introduce the latest technologies to Taiwanese developers, inspiring innovative capacities. For those unable to attend in person, welcome to watch the videos of the keynote forums at https://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftTaiwan/live_videos.