The Taiwan Healthcare Expo, the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, runs from December 5 to 8. Chi-Huey Wong, President of the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) has become a global trend, and Taiwan holds a distinct advantage in this area. With the government’s "Healthy Taiwan" initiative, the biomedical industry is poised to expand beyond disease treatment into precision prevention and health promotion. Additionally, integrating AI-driven innovations will help align Taiwan's biotech industry with global standards.
Integrating Medicine, Diplomacy, and Economy
President of Legislative Yuan Han Kuo-yu highlighted Taiwan’s strengths beyond semiconductors, noting its world-class medical technologies. However, these capabilities remain underrecognized globally. He proposed that 2024 should mark the beginning of Taiwan’s "medical outreach" era, integrating healthcare, diplomacy, and economic strategies to bolster international visibility.
Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei outlined a vision for leveraging Taiwan’s expertise in AI and ICT to advance industries such as smart healthcare, medical aesthetics, health supplements, and sports technology. He projected that the biotech and health industry’s scale will surpass NT$10 trillion, with AI-powered healthcare becoming a critical pillar for Taiwan’s economic future.
Taiwan’s AI Leadership in Biomedicine
Chi-Huey Wong highlighted that AI development has accelerated industry transformation globally. Taiwan has been strategically investing in AI for over 20 years, solidifying its position as the world’s largest supplier of chips and hardware. Supported by government initiatives, AI applications are now proliferating across industries, particularly in healthcare and biomedicine, which represent Taiwan's fastest-growing sectors.
This year’s Taiwan Healthcare Expo features three main themes: Medtech, Biotech, and Healthtech, showcasing cutting-edge AI medical solutions. These include innovative diagnostic technologies, precise early disease detection, advanced treatment methods, and efficient medical management systems. Wong expressed optimism that these innovations would significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of healthcare services.
Expanding AI Applications and Biotech Horizons
Wong highlighted the government's "Healthy Taiwan" initiative, which focuses on enhancing healthcare and promoting public health. The initiative also emphasizes integrating AI innovations to advance biomedical development. Taiwan leads the world in healthcare indices and boasts the most comprehensive national health insurance database globally. With the addition of a newly established human biological database, combining AI with these datasets will enable more comprehensive, precise, and efficient early prevention and detection solutions. Taiwan's biomedical industry is thus expanding its focus from disease treatment to encompass precision prevention and health promotion.
AI-Driven Drug Development
In the field of pharmaceuticals, Taiwan has successfully developed over 10 internationally approved new drugs. AI is now accelerating every stage of drug development—from design and synthesis to manufacturing and clinical trials. Wong expressed confidence that Taiwan’s innovations would soon produce more new drugs capable of entering the global market.
Resource: 醫療科技展開鑼 生策會會長翁啟惠：全面推動AI在各產業的應用
