Startup Island TAIWAN Podcast

This episode unpacks how the U.S. reindustrialization wave—driven by the CHIPS Act, the IRA, and mega-projects like Project Stargate—is reshaping global AI infrastructure. Dr. Wesley Chu explains why this buildout still relies heavily on Taiwan’s supply chain, spanning advanced semiconductors, packaging, and AI hardware manufacturing. We also explore the shift from “Made in Taiwan” to “Made with Taiwan,” marked by co-built AI parks and highly automated AI factories. As global competition intensifies, Dr. Chu highlights why Taiwan must strengthen core technology protection and supply-chain resilience to maintain its central role in the democratic technology ecosystem. 本集帶你理解美國再工業化如何重塑全球 AI 基礎建設。從 CHIPS 法案、IRA，到 Project Stargate 等超大型投資，美國正以高速擴建算力需求所需的先進晶片與 AI 工廠。Dr. Wesley Chu 說明，這波建設浪潮的核心仍深度倚賴臺灣供應鏈，從先進製程、封裝，到 AI 伺服器與關鍵硬體。 節目也討論「Made in Taiwan」正逐步轉向「Made with Taiwan」——透過跨國共建 AI 園區、合作打造自動化工廠，臺灣在民主科技生態系的戰略位置進一步提升。同時，全球競爭加劇下，臺灣更需要強化技術保護與供應鏈韌性，確保在新一輪 AI 工業革命中的關鍵角色。 📍 About Host: Uly Su General Partner, Addins Venture #CrossBorderMentor #StartupExpansion #TaiwanToSiliconValley 🌏 A cross-border mentor who supports startups in entering global markets, with deep experience in fundraising, talent strategy, and international operations across the U.S. and Taiwan. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulysu/ 📚 Learn more about Taiwan’s startup ecosystem 👉🏼 https://meetstartup.pse.is/4jhd5u 🚀 Stay connected with Taiwan–Silicon Valley innovation via the Startup Island TAIWAN Silicon Valley Hub: https://sv.startupisland.tw/ Powered by Firstory Hosting

In this episode of AI News, we take a closer look at the newly released Forbes “AI 50” list for 2025. Selected from nearly two thousand applicants, the fifty featured companies highlight a major shift in the global AI landscape—from model development races to full workflow automation and real-world deployment. We examine key players such as Cursor, Harvey, Figure AI, and World Labs, exploring how they are transforming software engineering, legal processes, medical information access, and robotics. The discussion then turns to Taiwan: with rising compute demand and rapid growth in edge AI, semiconductors, servers, and healthcare technology, how should Taiwan position itself for the next two to three years? This episode offers a strategic, international perspective on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. 本集 AI News 聚焦最新公布的 Forbes《AI 50》2025 名單。從近兩千家提名企業中脫穎而出的五十家 AI 新創，反映了全球 AI 發展正從模型競賽全面走向「產業流程自動化」與「實體世界應用」的新階段。 我們將解析 Cursor、Harvey、Figure AI、World Labs 等代表性公司，理解它們如何重新定義工程開發、法律審查、醫療資訊查詢與人形機器人的應用場景。節目也延伸討論這波變化帶給臺灣的意義——無論是算力需求、半導體與伺服器供應鏈、邊緣裝置，或醫療與法規科技，臺灣應如何在未來兩到三年精準抓住跨國合作與產業升級的窗口。這是一集從國際視角檢視台灣 AI 競爭力的提問。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

In this episode, we speak with Kai Chen, General Partner at Silicon Catalyst Ventures and Founder of OceanIQ Capital, to explore how family offices and long-term LPs are approaching the current AI boom. Unlike traditional venture firms that often emphasize speed, narrative, and rapid scaling, family offices prioritize discipline, capital durability, and value creation grounded in real-world application. Their focus is on AI solutions that fundamentally enhance system efficiency—whether in manufacturing, enterprise operations, healthcare, or infrastructure—rather than on hype-driven valuation swings. We also examine the cross-border innovation landscape. Taiwan plays a pivotal role in the global semiconductor and hardware supply chain, while Silicon Valley excels at transforming raw computational power into platforms, algorithms, and developer ecosystems. Instead of competition, this represents a symbiotic structure that underpins the next generation of AI progress. Kai argues that this moment in AI is more than a cyclical uptrend; it marks a structural shift in how knowledge work, organizational decision-making, and industrial output are defined. For long-term capital, the goal is not simply to “catch the wave,” but to understand which parts of this transformation will endure. 本集邀請 Silicon Catalyst Ventures 合夥人、同時為 OceanIQ Capital 創辦人的陳凱，深入談論家族辦公室與 LP 在 AI 浪潮中的位置與策略。 Kai 認為家族資本通常具備更長的時間視野，更重視資產配置的韌性與技術價值的真實落地。因此，在 AI 投資中，他們聚焦於能帶來系統性效率提升與穩健現金流的應用場景，而非僅依循市場情緒追逐熱門題材。 在節目中，我們也討論到跨境創新鏈的協作模式：臺灣憑藉半導體與先進製程掌握全球運算的根基，而矽谷則將算力轉化為平台、演算法與產品生態，兩地並非競爭，而是新一代技術革命中不可或缺的互補力量。陳凱認為，當 AI 不再只是「下一波科技浪潮」，而是逐步重塑醫療、工業、企業決策和知識工作時，真正的關鍵在於如何以長期心態面對這場改變人類文明結構的變化。 📍 About Host: Uly Su General Partner, Addins Venture #CrossBorderMentor #StartupExpansion #TaiwanToSiliconValley 🌏 A cross-border mentor who supports startups in entering global markets, with deep experience in fundraising, talent strategy, and international operations across the U.S. and Taiwan. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulysu/ 📚 Learn more about Taiwan’s startup ecosystem 👉🏼 https://meetstartup.pse.is/4jhd5u 🚀 Stay connected with Taiwan–Silicon Valley innovation via the Startup Island TAIWAN Silicon Valley Hub: https://sv.startupisland.tw/ Powered by Firstory Hosting

In Case You Missed It: TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Review Welcome to our latest episode — a deep dive into TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, the global gathering where the next decade of innovation begins. If you’re a founder, investor, or simply curious about how technology is reshaping the real world, this one’s for you. Disrupt isn’t just another conference — it’s where vision meets execution, and where new industries are quietly being built. This year, the spotlight shifted from hype to hardware, from theory to traction. We’ll unpack the rise of Glīd, the logistics startup reinventing freight movement; Nephrogen, blending AI and gene therapy; and bold predictions from Zoom’s Eric Yuan, who believes AI could soon redefine the workweek itself. We’ll also explore how the event’s new Going Public Stage revealed the real playbook for scaling — and why Asia’s innovators, from Taiwan to Japan, are finding their global footing right here in San Francisco. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand not only what happened at Disrupt, but why it matters to you — how these shifts in AI, logistics, biotech, and hardware signal where the next opportunities are emerging. So grab your headphones, and join us as we decode the conversations shaping the future of startups, capital, and technology itself. Powered by Firstory Hosting

In this episode, we’re joined by serial entrepreneur and investor Terry Hsiao to explore the defining shifts that have shaped Silicon Valley from 2000 to 2025—from the dot-com boom and bust, through the rise of mobile and cloud, to today’s AI-driven transformation and the restructuring of venture models. Terry’s journey spans from engineer to serial founder, investor, and educator, bridging startup communities across the U.S. and Taiwan. He reflects on how each wave—from the internet era’s obsession with “eyeballs,” to the mobile revolution powered by the iPhone and AWS, to the post-COVID reinvention of venture—has redefined what it means to build and invest. Beyond taking a company public, Terry now mentors founders and investors on both sides of the Pacific, offering insights on what it takes to thrive in the decade ahead. 📍 About Host: Uly Su General Partner, Addins Venture #CrossBorderMentor #StartupExpansion #TaiwanToSiliconValley 🌏 A cross-border mentor who supports startups in entering global markets, with deep experience in fundraising, talent strategy, and international operations across the U.S. and Taiwan. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulysu/ 📚 Learn more about Taiwan’s startup ecosystem 👉🏼 https://meetstartup.pse.is/4jhd5u 🚀 Stay connected with Taiwan–Silicon Valley innovation via the Startup Island TAIWAN Silicon Valley Hub: https://sv.startupisland.tw/ Powered by Firstory Hosting

In this special edition of EP 3–8, we explore how two innovation capitals—San Francisco and Los Angeles—revealed contrasting yet complementary visions of the tech future during Tech Week 2025. From OpenAI’s pragmatic focus on AI infrastructure at Fort Mason to IBM Ventures’ high-stakes corporate venture night downtown, San Francisco showcased a city obsessed with building the backbone of intelligence. A week later, Los Angeles responded with cinematic flair: AI-driven fashion in Beverly Hills, immersive storytelling summits in Culver City, and a CEO retreat at Terranea where culture met capital. This episode examines how the Bay Area engineered the systems of tomorrow while LA gave them soul—marking a shift from innovation as technology to innovation as experience. Powered by Firstory Hosting

This week, we trace two seismic shifts redefining both the AI race and the global economy. OpenAI–AMD Alliance marks a structural realignment in the AI hardware landscape. The multi-year partnership grants OpenAI access to up to 6 GW of AMD’s next-generation Instinct accelerators—a move that diversifies its compute base beyond NVIDIA and positions AMD as a credible second supplier in the frontier-model era. The deal, which could add tens of billions in market value, signals a future where model developers and chipmakers are financially intertwined to secure compute sovereignty. U.S.–China Trade Confrontation re-enters a critical phase as Washington moves to impose 100 percent tariffs on nearly all Chinese imports, citing Beijing’s rare-earth export restrictions as a strategic threat. The escalation threatens to fragment technology supply chains, drive inflationary pressure in the U.S., and accelerate the formation of rival industrial blocs—America’s “friend-shoring” network versus China’s Belt-and-Road manufacturing orbit. Together, these developments expose a world where AI capacity, economic power, and geopolitical control are converging into the same equation—and where nations, companies, and investors must decide which ecosystem they belong to. Powered by Firstory Hosting

This week, we track three pivotal forces shaping the global innovation narrative. Washington’s Shutdown has paralyzed U.S. federal agencies, disrupting capital markets and research while costing the economy up to $15 billion a week, underscoring how fragile high-tech growth becomes when governance stalls. Taiwan–U.S. High-Tech Partnership is emerging as a strategic framework for resilient supply chains and shared R&D in semiconductors and AI, offering a “Taiwan model” that balances collaboration with technological sovereignty. The AI Workforce Shift is accelerating as more than 120,000 global layoffs redefine work in the automation era, where efficiency metrics now favor algorithms over headcount. Powered by Firstory Hosting

This week, we take a closer look at two stories shaping the global innovation narrative from opposite sides of the Pacific. Taiwan Tech Week 2025: From Semiconductor Island to Innovation Island Taiwan brought more than 120 startups and 3,500 professionals to Silicon Valley in its boldest overseas showcase yet. The Taiwan Tech Summit at Santa Clara Convention Center signaled a shift in identity, positioning Taiwan as an Innovation Island with ambitions in AI, biotech, and deep tech, while building new bridges with the global ecosystem. San Francisco Tech Week 2025: A City Reclaims Its Innovation Role From September 15 to 21, San Francisco will host hundreds of events across the city, from AI and biotech forums to climate tech gatherings and neighborhood mixers. Tech Week 2025 is both a celebration and a test, as the city seeks to reassert itself as the epicenter of innovation culture in a world of rising global competition. Powered by Firstory Hosting

This week, we spotlight Jim Keller’s decision to bring Tenstorrent to Taiwan, and preview the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE 2025)—two stories that highlight Taiwan’s expanding influence at the cutting edge of global technology. Jim Keller and Tenstorrent: Betting on Taiwan At SEMICON Taiwan 2025, legendary chip architect Jim Keller—known for breakthroughs at Apple, AMD, and Tesla—announced that his company Tenstorrent will open a new office in Taiwan. The move underscores Taiwan’s unrivaled semiconductor supply chain and engineering talent, as Tenstorrent pushes chiplet-based AI processors to challenge NVIDIA’s dominance. Beyond business expansion, Keller’s strategy represents a vision of democratizing AI compute through affordable, flexible, and open architectures. TADTE 2025: Innovation and International Collaboration Opening this September at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, TADTE 2025 will bring together more than 400 exhibitors from over a dozen countries. With themes spanning advanced defense, green aviation, resilient supply chains, and unmanned systems, the exhibition positions Taiwan as a hub for aerospace innovation and cross-border cooperation. By showcasing both local breakthroughs and global partnerships, TADTE affirms Taiwan’s role as not just a manufacturing base, but a co-creator of the future of defense and aerospace technology. Powered by Firstory Hosting