The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has outlined four main strategies for the development of semiconductor technology in Taiwan: sustaining current advantages, global expansion, innovation in applications, and adaptation for sustainability. The aim is to secure Taiwan's position as a key player in the global semiconductor industry, while also advancing the application of semiconductor technology in various industries, including biomedical and agricultural applications.
According to NSTC deputy minister Bing-yu Chen, roughly NT$4 billion (US$136 million) has already been invested in 33 chip development projects for biomedical and agricultural applications, all using mature processes.
Taiwan's NT$200 billion chip innovation program
The Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program (Taiwan CBI), a decade-long, NT$200 billion initiative launched by the Executive Yuan in 2024, includes several sub-projects managed by separate government agencies with individual budgets. Of these sub-projects, research and development efforts targeting the biomedical and agricultural sectors in the "Chip-powered Innovation and Upgrade" initiative have been underway for 18 months, with initial results including analog ICs, logic ICs, microcomponent ICs, and sensor components for a wide range of clinical and practical applications such as multi-gene cancer screening biochips, early atrial fibrillation detection chips, digital therapeutics for Parkinson's disease, poultry house management robots, plant disease and pest detection systems, and drug residue detection chips for agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock.
Three-tier development approach
According to Pei-jung Lu, deputy executive secretary of the NSTC's Office of Science and Technology Policy, the government aims to secure Taiwan's position as a key player in the global semiconductor industry, while also advancing the application of semiconductor technology in various industries, fostering innovation in biomedicine and agriculture. The NSTC plays a role in upstream development and testing, focusing on multi-functional biochip development through academia-industry-research collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has tasked institutions, such as the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), with the midstream research and development and pilot production of next-generation gene sequencing and implantable medical electronics, to establish a successful development-to-production model.
Finally, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare focus on downstream issues such as regulatory frameworks and field testing, covering aspects including regulatory guidance, talent cultivation, and ensuring that products integrate well with their end-use industries.
Leveraging mature process advantages
As the NSTC notes, Taiwan should leverage its capacity in mature processes to accelerate innovation and upgrades across the biomedical, agricultural, and other industries. The 33 biomedical and agricultural chip development projects, covering areas such as smart healthcare, gene sequencing, and smart agriculture, have connected more than 30 startups and small and medium enterprises with roughly 20 academic and research institutions to form a comprehensive new ecosystem for research and development in these fields.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
