TAIPEI, TAIWAN – May 26, 2026 – The Administration for Digital Industries (ADI) under the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) today announced the strategic expansion of its flagship "AI Garden Project: Tech Inclusion × Educational Rooting" initiative. Designed as a pioneering model for community-driven digital transformation, the initiative establishes a seamless, human-centric pipeline that nurtures top-tier talent, validates technical implementations, and drives local industry integration.
   
By deploying comprehensive support from foundational infrastructure to specialized application fields, Taiwan is actively moving beyond laboratory R&D to bridge the digital divide, foster localized economic resilience, and build a self-sustaining talent ecosystem.

Scaling the AI Garden: From Campus Innovation to Regional Impact
Launched to revolutionize AI adoption across Taiwan, the AI Garden Project has successfully completed its 2025 milestone. The inaugural cohort united National Taitung University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and Fo Guang University with 50 local industries, mobilizing over 590 faculty members and students to decode market realities and engineer actionable AI solutions.

Building on this foundational success, ADI is aggressively scaling up its field validations in 2026 to encompass six key strategic academic institutions: National Taitung University, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Penghu University of Science and Technology, National Dong Hwa University, National Ilan University, and National Kaohsiung Normal University. 

Tailored to unique regional demands and each campus's distinct institutional breakthroughs, these academic hubs will pioneer edge solutions across multi-faceted local settings. Key specialized deployments include smart eldercare companionship, precision agriculture management, autonomous drone logistics and flight safety monitoring, AI campus guides and interview simulators, intelligent automated inspection, and smart teaching assistants. This framework will systematically weave AI into the very fabric of long-term care, farming, and education, establishing a definitive blueprint for regional innovation.

Cultivating "Dual-Threat AI Talent" professionals for Market Realities
"Today's market is hungry for cross-disciplinary agility," emphasized Isabel Hou, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs. "AI talent cultivation can no longer be confined to classrooms; it must unite theoretical learning with real-world validation. This aligns perfectly with President Lai Ching-te's vision of "Dual-Threat AI Talent"—professionals who master both industry domain knowledge and cutting-edge AI skills. Through the AI Garden initiative, MODA brings top-tier resources from global cloud leaders straight into local communities, ensuring our youth do not just study theory, but solve real-world problems for local businesses."

Global Tech Synergy: Unleashing the AIWave: Hackathon with AWS
In a major strategic push to establish a world-class talent mechanism, ADI has partnered with global tech giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the "AIWave: Taiwan Generative AI Application Hackathon".

As the centerpiece of ADI’s practical training track, the program delivers 5 specialized masterclasses and provides access to a rich sandbox of over 200 advanced AI tools. Driven by authentic field data and professional mentorship, this framework empowers multidisciplinary student teams to collaborate across boundaries and solve actual industry pain points, seamlessly translating educational outcomes into powerful catalysts for industrial upgrading.

A Future of Tech Inclusivity and Digital Equity
Looking toward the future, ADI re-emphasized its commitment to continuously leveraging its five core policy tools: Computing Power, Data, Talent, Marketing, and Funding. By providing robust infrastructure and driving regional adoption, Taiwan aims to evolve from a mere user of technology into a pivotal global driver of AI applications and industrial progress. Through the convergence of international cloud infrastructure and the cultivation of localized digital ecosystems, MODA is building an inclusive future where AI serves our industries, deepens educational roots, and drives sustainable regional growth.