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The "2023 Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) International Partner Awards Ceremony" (IPO Awards Ceremony) was held today, with Minister Mei-Hua Wang personally presenting seven major awards, including the Technology Value-added Partners Award, to 20 global industry giants such as AMD. The awards recognized these international partners for their outstanding contributions in assisting Taiwan's industry in developing cutting-edge technologies and enhancing its strategic position in the global supply chain. Minister Wang described today’s supply chain partners as having "high market value, extensive procurement, and deep connections." The total market value of the participating companies was nearly NT$400 trillion, and the electronics and information technology procurement from foreign companies in Taiwan is expected to reach $218.4 billion USD in 2023, signifying a deep connection with Taiwan's supply chain towards a net-zero future.

According to estimates by the Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) under the Institute for Information Industry (III), foreign procurement in Taiwan's electronics and information sectors is expected to exceed $200 billion USD for four consecutive years. Despite global uncertainties and supply chain restructuring, Taiwan remains a crucial and indispensable partner in the global supply chain, underscoring the profound significance of this ceremony.

The main theme of this award is the continued retention of international companies in Taiwan's supply chain. It acknowledges foreign partners for supporting Taiwan's critical role in the international supply chain, with the hope that future developments will continue to focus on high-value-added, sustainable technology, and innovative applications. In her speech, Minister Wang pointed out two changes in this year’s awards. First, the addition of the Key Supplier Partners Award. Previously, awards were mainly given to foreign companies contributing the most to establishing Taiwan’s procurement ecosystem. However, in response to the recent surge in foreign partners involved in process technology, equipment, and advanced materials, which have set up R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, a new supply chain collaboration has been formed. Companies such as HITACHI, DENSO, and Merck have been recognized this year, with hopes for more innovative technologies related to raw materials, equipment processes, and even advanced technologies like silicon photonics to take root in Taiwan.

The second change is the adjustment of the Market Expansion Partners Award. Due to industry trends, particularly the explosion of generative AI, there has been a significant increase in demand for AI servers in data centers. Therefore, in addition to thanking long-time top international clients, special recognition was given this year to Google and Microsoft, whose year-over-year growth rates have significantly increased. Minister Wang expressed confidence that the cooperation between foreign companies and Taiwan in the development of AI servers, AI PCs, and AI notebooks will become even closer, and Taiwan's supply chain will continue to dominate as the best partner in the global electronics and information industry.

Minister Wang also touched on the topic of the global supply chain, noting that besides "China +1," there is often mention of "Taiwan +1." However, Taiwan +1 should have a new interpretation, namely "Strengthen Taiwan, Join the World." Using "In Taiwan + the World" to explain Taiwan +1, Taiwan will become the world's Taiwan, firmly establishing its irreplaceable key position in the global supply chain.

In addition to expressing her gratitude to international companies for their trust and contributions to Taiwan, Minister Wang also thanked Dell, HP, and Cisco for leading the supply chain with Taiwan's EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) centers, implementing carbon reduction through a large-small company model. This is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 340,000 metric tons by next year, realizing green and sustainable supply chains. Chairman Lee Shih-Chin of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) echoed Minister Wang's sentiments in his subsequent speech, committing to work with TEEMA member companies to respond to the MOEA's carbon reduction policies and achieve the 2030 and 2050 carbon reduction targets.

Furthermore, IPO Forum President Liao Jen-Hsiang, in his speech, emotionally remarked that the award-winning content today shows that the world's most important international companies have demonstrated their recognition of Taiwan through action. Despite the challenging global landscape, they continue to show partnership with Taiwan, building resilience. He thanked the government for its support of foreign companies, driving customers toward sustainability, and shifting from procurement to partnership, with hopes for more innovative cooperation in AI in the future.

The MOEA hopes that through the International Partner Awards, the depth and breadth of cooperation between international companies and Taiwan's industries can be accelerated, enhancing the competitiveness of both sides and advancing Taiwan’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) industry to continue playing a key role globally.

The award recipients are as follows:

• Technology Value-added Partners Award: ASML, Micron, NVIDIA
• Strategic Point of Light Partners Award: Arm, Cisco, Google
• Key Supplier Partners Award: Denso, Hitachi, Merck
• Green Systems Partners Award: Dell, HPI, Panasonic
• Innovative Application Partners Award: AWS, HPE, Microsoft
• Soft Value Partners Award: Cadence, Intel, LINE
• Market Expansion Partners Award: Apple, HPI, Dell, AMD, Microsoft, Google

In addition to the honor of receiving the award, the winning companies are also entitled to several incentives, such as exemption from inspections for R&D testing goods, and relaxed conditions for foreign talent to work in Taiwan.