CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus

There is a growing rift between the U.S. and China over rare earths. China’s dominance of their refining poses a growing risk, while Taiwan may be caught in the crossfire.

🎙️ Dimitar Gueorguiev
📺 youtu.be/XBxU_PXZrhA

China controls 90% of rare earth refining, holding sway over critical minerals vital to the U.S., Taiwan and global tech industries.

How has China’s dominance evolved and what does it mean for U.S. supply chains?

🎙️ Dimitar Gueorguiev
📺 youtu.be/WA_AYA8K8r4

China’s US$50 billion chip fund is pouring money into AI chips, memory and one critical missing piece — lithography. But can it catch up in a field dominated by a few giants?

🎙️ Stephen Ezell (vice president, ITIF) and Ray Wang (research director, Futurum)
📺 youtu.be/qiRx3TIcC7Y

With massive state investment and rapid capacity growth, Beijing is betting big on chip independence. Could China soon take over the world as the top semiconductor manufacturer?

🎙️ Stephen Ezell (vice president, ITIF) and Ray Wang (research director, Futurum)
📺 youtu.be/6eAzkM2EPiU

Taiwan’s first digital unicorn, Appier, is redefining global marketing with the power of AI. CEO and cofounder Chih-Han Yu shares how the company grew from a living room idea to a public tech giant.

📺 youtu.be/CLyYjtNtNew

Taiwan rakes in most of the revenue from advanced semiconductor fabrication, but it doesn’t make most of the world’s chips — and it doesn’t lead in every domain.

Where does Taiwan fall behind and who’s catching up? Let’s break down!

🎙️ youtu.be/GpcRyAY5LmI

Taiwan and Europe are racing to prepare the next generation of chip innovators. So if you’re eyeing a career in semiconductors, where should your roadmap begin?

🎙️ Kuan-Neng Chen (NYCU)
🎙️ Aida Todri-Sanial (TU/e)
🎥 Jiun-Haw Lee (NTU)

📺 youtu.be/5LKrBXW1pXU

Over 2 million people work in semiconductors worldwide. And over 1 million more jobs are expected by 2030. But who will fill them?

🎙️ Kuan-Neng Chen (ICST, NYCU)
🎙️ Aida Todri-Sanial (TU/e)
🎥 Jiun-Haw Lee (GUPS, NTU)

📺 youtu.be/91aXAIHCTQU

Is AI a threat to your mind or a tool to unlock new potential?

iKala CEO Sega Cheng reveals how to embrace AI without losing critical thinking and how generative AI is reshaping business efficiency.

📺 youtu.be/JGcJff9xJ4w

Why does Taiwan struggle to scale AI globally?

We discussed the next five years in AI with iKala CEO Sega Cheng, whose company went from providing online karaoke to delivering AI-powered transformation services.

📺 youtu.be/UCA3v_eVTjE

Could AI kill what makes us human — our creativity? Industrial designer Harm Hogenbirk of Pilotfish warns of a future where AGI and automation reshape not just innovation, but human purpose itself. In the first episode of the CONNECTED Podcast, we dive into how emerging AI may transform creativity, identity and the very structure of our society. 00:30 Meet Harm Hogenbirk, cofounder of Pilotfish 02:29 What does it mean to be human-centered in innovation? 04:10 Do AI tools truly solve human problems — or just add features? 06:43 Why current AI lacks true challenge and critical feedback 07:12 AI-assisted diagnostics: tool, copilot or risk? 09:13 Comparing AI in medicine to autopilot in aviation 12:05 Should AGI development slow down for ethical reasons? 15:31 Are profit and code driving AGI more than purpose? 17:04 Do people always want to be ‘in the loop’ with AI? 19:49 Will AGI kill our motivation to explore and innovate? 22:05 Ethics of AGI: illusion, inequality and loneliness 23:35 Can we ever tell if an AI system is actually sentient? 25:41 Why AGI governance can’t be left to tech giants 26:06 Best case scenario: applying AI with purpose and limits #AGI #ArtificialGeneralIntelligence #AI 🎧 Prefer audio only? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music and other platforms! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connected-podcast/id1829350178 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GTEqd9KMKjvRgTWtK4313 YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC1oUAE7Bj5o6zEGm0Hq4BdA #StayConnected | Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connected.taiwanplus Find more news stories at TaiwanPlus News: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taiwanplusnews YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TaiwanPlusNews Tweet us on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/taiwanplusnews #TaiwanPlusNews｜https://www.taiwanplus.com TaiwanPlus presents the country’s unique voice on not only local issues but also world events. The End of Human Purpose? Creativity and Innovation in the Age of AI | CONNECTED Podcast

Could AI kill what makes us human — our creativity? In the first episode of the CONNECTED Podcast, industrial designer Harm Hogenbirk of Pilotfish warns of a future where AGI and automation reshape not just innovation, but human purpose itself.

What does it take to start from nothing and build the world’s largest single-roof performing arts center in Taiwan? Maestro Chien Wen-pin is doing just that.

🎥 youtu.be/qRfU4vidG80
📍 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

Welcome to the world’s largest arts venue under one roof — #Weiwuying. Once a military base, this wave-shaped marvel is transforming Kaohsiung into a global hub for the performing arts.

🎥 youtu.be/4U_TDaWMLzM
📍 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

Taiwan, once known as a ‘garbage island’, has tamed its waste crisis with a world-leading 60% recycling rate.

But with garbage volumes at an all-time high in 2024, can Taiwan sustain its recycling momentum?

🎙️ Clare Richardson-Barlow (University of Leeds)
📺 youtu.be/BTABfcimZCs

Philanthropist Sunny Gurpreet Singh once built a healthcare tech empire. Now he channels his wealth and resources into global wellbeing — and invests in mental health, youth sports and gender equality.

🎙️ Sunny Gurpreet Singh / RoundGlass Foundation (@roundglass.bsky.social)
📺 youtu.be/zzBY2MOf7u8

What drives a wealthy tech entrepreneur to leave it all behind for philanthropy? Sunny Gurpreet Singh, healthcare AI pioneer and founder of Edifecs, shares his journey.

🎙️ Sunny Gurpreet Singh / RoundGlass Foundation (@roundglass.bsky.social)
📺 youtu.be/PoJO2SpmH7s

Comics now shape Hollywood and pop culture — but with print sales falling, creator rights battles intensifying and big publishers consolidating, is #comics culture at a crossroads?

🎙️ Ben Saunders, professor of comics studies at the University of Oregon

📺 youtu.be/kwjxvMsI3QA

As Hergé’s The Blue Lotus (Tintin’s best known adventure in East Asia) celebrates its 90th birthday, none of the magic has been lost to time. What can Taiwan... Tintin’s Blue Lotus at 90 and What Taiwan’s Comics Can Learn | CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus**

As Hergé’s The Blue Lotus (Tintin’s best-known adventure in East Asia) celebrates its 90th birthday, what can Taiwanese and Indian comic producers learn from Belgium’s rich comic heritage?

🎙️ Philippe Tzou and Debkumar Mitra
📺

Manhua (Chinese-language comics) is emerging as a soft power tool for Taiwan, rivalling the global dominance of Japanese manga. CONNECTED goes inside the Sup... Manhua Rising: Comics as Taiwan’s New Soft Power | CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus

Manhua (Chinese-language comics) is emerging as a soft power tool for Taiwan. How are Taiwanese artists breaking free from Japanese and Chinese influences to carve out a distinctly Taiwanese space in global comic culture?

YouTube video by CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus Taking Taiwanese Comics West: Johannes Fiederling on Translating Culture | CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus

Want to read Taiwanese manhua (Chinese-language comics)? Then you will most likely run into a language barrier — but comic translator Johannes Fiederling is hoping to change that.

youtu.be/3c5RKPAhbWQ

Taiwan’s semiconductor factories and rapidly growing AI data centers are energy-hungry. Can the island’s power grid keep up with soaring demand?

🎙️ Tsai Ying Lu (DSET) and Andrei Covatariu (ECERA)
📺 youtu.be/UYSsdojzJTg

If China blockades Taiwan, the island’s economy could lose access to 95% of its imported energy. Can Taiwan make its power system futureproof before the next crisis strikes?

🎙️ Tsai Ying Lu (DSET) and Andrei Covatariu (ECERA)
📺 youtu.be/GOayx5yf3P4

India vs. China: Who will lead the global semiconductor race? In this episode of CONNECTED, we explore India’s fabless semiconductor surge, its rivalry with China and how Taiwan is helping fuel this rise.

🎙️ Aswini Kumar (NCCU) & Sunil G Acharya (SFAL)
youtu.be/THPQOS0GBhA

Can India become a global chip superpower? With 20% of the world’s chip designers, India is already a fabless giant, and its new US$435 million joint venture with Taiwan’s Foxconn could be a game changer.

🎙️ Aswini Kumar (NCCU) & Sunil G Acharya (SFAL)

youtu.be/i3DP5co-1ZM

In this episode, guest experts unpack how NATO’s Baltic Sentry, sea drones and regional partnerships are addressing the growing risks to digital and energy infrastructure.

🎙️ Katja Bego (@katjabego.bsky.social) & Brendon J. Cannon (ISDP, @isdp-sweden.bsky.social)

youtu.be/tLpksWT3pj4

From Houthi attacks to Russian activities, both the Asia-Pacific and Europe have become flashpoints for suspected assaults on undersea infrastructure.

🎙️ Katja Bego (@katjabego.bsky.social) & Brendon J. Cannon (ISDP, @isdp-sweden.bsky.social)
youtu.be/UsHm4m2WhwI

Cost of living in Taiwan is rising — and global trade tensions may be making it worse. How should Taiwan respond to shifting U.S. trade policies? And should it prepare for a potential currency war?

🎙️ William Yu (UCLA Anderson Forecast) and Wen-Tai Hsu (Academia Sinica)

youtu.be/zzKr7lVYfrk

Why is the cost of living rising in Taiwan and around the world? From wages and rent to inflation and U.S. tariffs, we break down what’s really driving prices — and what it means for your wallet.

🎙️ William Yu (UCLA Anderson Forecast) and Wen-Tai Hsu (Academia Sinica)

youtu.be/mpghbe0dQdk

Tech headlines are flooded with AI — but is the AI boom overshadowing other kinds of innovation? As companies rush to release the next AI-powered product, we... AI Boom: Fuel for Progress or Shadow Over Innovation? | CONNECTED on TaiwanPlus

Tech headlines are flooded with AI — but is the AI boom overshadowing other kinds of innovation?

🎙️ Yvie Tai (Qualcomm) & Yuki Shirato (Techstars, Tokyo)

From AI to everyday tech, we explore how new solutions are sparked, recognized and turned into technologies that shape entire industries.

🎙️ Yvie Tai (Qualcomm) & Yuki Shirato (Techstars, Tokyo)

youtu.be/FZKU92yOaFo