Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao – Representative | Taipei Representative Office in the UK
The Ambassador from Taiwan opened the session by underscoring the strategic importance of semiconductors and AI in global technology and societal advancement. Taiwan’s dominance in advanced semiconductor manufacturing—with 90% of the global share—and 300,000 skilled engineers, places it at the forefront of innovation and supply chain resilience. The Ambassador introduced the "AI New 10 Construction Initiative", a national project aiming to:
- Build AI platforms, cloud supercomputing infrastructure, sensors, and smart living zones across Taiwan.
- Advance intelligent robotics, high-speed quantum computing, sovereign AI, and silicon photonics.
- Integrate AI into 1 million local businesses, transforming traditional industries.
Taiwan views the UK as a vital strategic partner, emphasizing shared values around openness, innovation, and resilience. The Ambassador reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to long-term, collaborative AI development, envisioning joint ecosystems that leverage each country’s strengths.
Russ Shaw CBE – Founder | Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates
Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates (2013) and Global Tech Advocates (2015), outlined the evolution of the UK’s grassroots tech advocacy network. Built on volunteerism, the organization has grown to 45 groups across 60 countries, supporting startups and scaling ventures.
In the context of growing geopolitical tensions affecting the semiconductor industry, Shaw highlighted several key UK–Taiwan collaborative initiatives:
- Chips Coalition – a body advising UK government on semiconductor policy.
- Semi Gateway – connecting UK and European startups with Taiwanese partners and resources.
- Taiwan AI Server Lines – facilitating access to Taiwanese AI hardware for the UK’s sovereign AI infrastructure needs.
He emphasized that building global partnerships—especially with Taiwan—is vital for the UK to remain competitive and enhance its strengths in design, IP, and advanced packaging.
Sue Daley – Director | Technology & Innovation, techUK
Representing techUK, Sue Daley emphasized the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in the semiconductor and AI ecosystem, grounded in a recently published report with three core goals:
- Turn UK strengths into global leadership (especially in design, IP, and photonics).
- Increase investment—both public and private—into these strengths.
- Scale UK strengths internationally through strategic partnerships.
Daley stressed the UK’s policy alignment with industry needs, particularly in response to post-2024 geopolitical complexity in the semiconductor supply chain. She highlighted the UK Chip Coalition’s collaboration with government and called for greater capital access and tailored industrial policies to unlock the UK’s innovation potential.
ShaoLan Hsueh – Semi Ventures Chair
ShaoLan reflected on Taiwan’s 50-year semiconductor journey, tracing its origins to a grassroots effort and American collaboration (Maurice Young). Taiwan didn’t seek domination but excelled by tackling challenges others avoided. Today, it stands as a knowledge-sharing partner, not a competitor.
The forum, according to ShaoLan, is not about promoting Taiwan, but about building alliances. The announcement of a “Semi Gateway” was reiterated, aimed at fostering deeper UK–Taiwan engagement. She closed by reaffirming Taiwan’s long-term commitment to this relationship, contrasting the consistency of civil society and industrial vision with the often-changing nature of political leadership.