Startup Island TAIWAN Podcast

Innovation Across the Pacific: Taiwan and San Francisco Tech Weeks 2025

This week, we take a closer look at two stories shaping the global innovation narrative from opposite sides of the Pacific. Taiwan Tech Week 2025: From Semiconductor Island to Innovation Island Taiwan brought more than 120 startups and 3,500 professionals to Silicon Valley in its boldest overseas showcase yet. The Taiwan Tech Summit at Santa Clara Convention Center signaled a shift in identity, positioning Taiwan as an Innovation Island with ambitions in AI, biotech, and deep tech, while building new bridges with the global ecosystem. San Francisco Tech Week 2025: A City Reclaims Its Innovation Role From September 15 to 21, San Francisco will host hundreds of events across the city, from AI and biotech forums to climate tech gatherings and neighborhood mixers. Tech Week 2025 is both a celebration and a test, as the city seeks to reassert itself as the epicenter of innovation culture in a world of rising global competition. Powered by Firstory Hosting

EP3-3 | Jim Keller’s Taiwan Bet, TADTE 2025 Preview

This week, we spotlight Jim Keller’s decision to bring Tenstorrent to Taiwan, and preview the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE 2025)—two stories that highlight Taiwan’s expanding influence at the cutting edge of global technology. Jim Keller and Tenstorrent: Betting on Taiwan At SEMICON Taiwan 2025, legendary chip architect Jim Keller—known for breakthroughs at Apple, AMD, and Tesla—announced that his company Tenstorrent will open a new office in Taiwan. The move underscores Taiwan’s unrivaled semiconductor supply chain and engineering talent, as Tenstorrent pushes chiplet-based AI processors to challenge NVIDIA’s dominance. Beyond business expansion, Keller’s strategy represents a vision of democratizing AI compute through affordable, flexible, and open architectures. TADTE 2025: Innovation and International Collaboration Opening this September at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, TADTE 2025 will bring together more than 400 exhibitors from over a dozen countries. With themes spanning advanced defense, green aviation, resilient supply chains, and unmanned systems, the exhibition positions Taiwan as a hub for aerospace innovation and cross-border cooperation. By showcasing both local breakthroughs and global partnerships, TADTE affirms Taiwan’s role as not just a manufacturing base, but a co-creator of the future of defense and aerospace technology. Powered by Firstory Hosting

EP3-3 | SEMICON 2025 Highlights, Taiwan Tech Summit Preview

This week, we look back at the breakthroughs and challenges unveiled at SEMICON 2025 in Taipei, and preview the upcoming Taiwan Tech Summit in Silicon Valley—two events that showcase Taiwan’s central role in the global tech arena. SEMICON 2025：AI and Advanced Packaging at the Forefront The 2025 International Semiconductor Exhibition (SEMICON 2025) in Taipei celebrated its 30th anniversary with a record scale: 1,200 companies from 56 countries, 4,100 booths, and nearly 100,000 attendees. Highlights included AI, high-performance computing, and advanced packaging technologies such as 3D IC and chiplets, alongside themes like automotive semiconductors, robotics, sustainability, and cybersecurity. Industry leaders from TSMC, Google, Infineon, and NXP debated power and talent challenges while unveiling innovations like Google’s latest TPU and SK Hynix’s HBM4 memory. Taiwan Tech Summit 2025 debuts in Santa Clara Taiwan Tech Summit 2025 gathered over 3,500 professionals at the Santa Clara Convention Center, highlighting Taiwan’s ambition to evolve from a semiconductor hub into a global innovation leader. The event featured forums on AI, biotech, design, and cross-border entrepreneurship, alongside a Demo Day where startups with proven traction pitched for international investment. The Summit underscored Taiwan’s determination to become not just a supplier of hardware but a partner in shaping the future of AI, biotech, and human-centered technology. It marked both a milestone and a call to action for Taiwan’s global innovation journey. Powered by Firstory Hosting

EP3-2 | Global News: Chip Tariffs, Taiwan Space Startup Breaks Even, Taiwan Expo USA Highlights

This week, we take a closer look at three stories shaping technology, business, and Taiwan’s role in the global arena. Chip Tariffs Intensify U.S. President Donald Trump is once again using tariffs to push semiconductor production back to America. This move challenges decades of globalized supply chains and sharpens U.S.–China tech rivalry. We chose this story because Taiwan’s central role in chipmaking means the policy could have a direct and lasting impact on its industry and international partnerships. Taiwan Space Startup Breaks Even Tensor Tech, a space startup from Taiwan known for its spherical motors now regularly flying on SpaceX missions, has reached financial break-even in 2025. We highlight this story because it marks a milestone in deep-tech innovation, showing how a young company can carve out a position in the global space economy. Taiwan Expo USA Triumphs The Taiwan Expo USA 2025 in Dallas drew more than ten thousand participants and over a hundred companies, securing multiple cross-border collaborations. We feature this story because it underscores Taiwan’s growing presence in the U.S. market and reflects how industry and culture together strengthen Taiwan–U.S. relations. Powered by Firstory Hosting

EP3-1 | Global News: US Tariffs, the New AR Glasses Market, and the End of the Russia-Ukraine War?

In this episode of AI News, we delve into the latest developments shaping the global tech landscape. We start with a look at the economic implications of the recent US tariffs and how they are poised to impact the supply chain for AI and other advanced technologies. Next, we shift our focus to the rapidly emerging market for AR glasses, exploring new hardware and software innovations and discussing the potential for these devices to change how we interact with the digital world. Finally, we analyze a new report on a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war and its possible effects on the tech and startup ecosystems in both regions. We also discuss how these geopolitical shifts might influence global investments and innovation. Join us as we break down these critical topics, providing insights into how AI is at the center of these major shifts. Powered by Firstory Hosting