Computex Taipei kicked off June 2 at Taipei World Trade Center, showcasing the latest and greatest information and communications technology products from home and abroad.
This year’s event, billed by organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) as the largest of its kind in Asia and second largest in the world, focuses on cloud tech and services, Internet of Things, mobile applications, 3-D business and applications, and wearable technology.
TAITRA Executive Vice President Walter Yeh said Internet of Things represents a gold mine of business opportunities given the emergence of smart living. “Soaring growth in this area is boosting demand for multiapplication chips. Computex is the perfect platform for global chipmakers to show off their R&D results.”
Gartner Inc. a U.S. information technology research and advisory firm, predicts that more than US$1.9 trillion will be spent worldwide on 25 billion related devices by 2020.
According to TAITRA, 1,702 firms from 21 countries and territories will set up 5,072 booths during the five-day exhibition, with attendance of over 130,000 visitors, including 38,000 foreign buyers.
Prominent participants include Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Broadcomm Corp., Intel Corp., MediaTek Inc. and NVIDIA Corp. Several global heavyweights are taking part in the show for the first time, including ARM Holdings PLC of the U.K., Cypress Semiconductor Corp. of the U.S., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. of Japan and Haier Group of mainland China.
In addition to product launches, the event features business matchmaking sessions and forums on cloud security, Internet of Things, smart cities and wearable technology involving global thinkers and industry leaders.
Computex also serves as a platform for addresses by renowned executives such as Stan Shih, founder and CEO of Acer Inc., Francois Guibert, executive vice president of STMicroelectronics NV, and Ian Drew, chief marketing officer of ARM.
Another highlight is the d&i Awards jointly implemented with German industry design leader International Forum Design. A total of 72 winning products were selected out of 271 entries from 118 companies this year.
In the lead-up to the show, TAITRA announced May 27 at a ceremony the 41 winners for this year’s Best Choice Awards from nearly 450 entries. These homegrown products will receive extensive council support in flying the flag for Taiwan’s ICT industry overseas. (SFC-JSM)
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