Human-centric development will underpin the society of the future
New, inter-disciplinary factors will provide the outline for urban planning roadmaps
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
The “smart city” constitutes the ideal laboratory for testing innovative services. How should Taiwan approach the challenge of identifying citizens’ basic needs and then building a living environment that reflects local characteristics while giving full weight to the importance of living aesthetics? Ideas invited a group of experts (including: Liu P’ei-Ling, Director of the Center of Innovation and Synergy for Intelligent Home Technology, National Taiwan University; Lin Chin-Teng, Dean of Academic Affairs, National Chiao Tung University; Cheng T’ai-Sheng, Associate Professors, Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University; Ts’ai Ch’i-Yen, CTO, Sinyi Group; Liao Chih-Chien of J.J. Pan and Partners, Architects and Planners) to take part in an in-depth discussion of this issue, to map out a vision for future lifestyles in Taiwan, and to brainstorm innovative new service concepts.
Lin Chin-Teng: There are two main changes that we will see in people’s lifestyles over the next 10 years. Firstly, there is the impact that the aging society will have on healthcare provision and on parent-child relationships; secondly, there will be a rise in the average intellectual level, which will lead to citizens taking more interest in the cultural and creative industries and in new, hi-tech products.
Cheng T’ai-Sheng: The first thing we need to think about is, what kind of lifestyle transformations will society experience? People's needs are always hidden; most people don't really understand what they need, and at the same time, needs can be created. Taking Apple's iPhone and iPad as examples, observation of consumer behavior gave Apple the idea of creating devices that allowed users to make telephone calls and access the Internet without needing a conventional keyboard and mouse.
Liu P’ei-Ling: National Taiwan University’s INSIGHT Center has over 160 people on its team. Among the research assistants, people with a background in the humanities outnumber the scientists; the sociologist's ability to undertake close, perceptive observation helps the Center to provide an outstanding level of service.
Transforming the city in a joyous hundredth anniversary
Linking innovation to the “last mile”
By HU, Hsiu-Chu and LI, Luo
Next year (2011) marks the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China. What changes have taken place in Taiwan over the past century? Viewing this question in microcosm, we take the Minsheng Residential Community in Taipei City’s Sungshan District and the Nangang Business Park as our starting point for examining citizen’s sense of happiness, and the opportunities for the next hundred years.
Our editorial team interview opinion leaders in the Minsheng Residential Community and in the Nangang Business Park, to find out what the current situation is in these two areas, their forecasts for the future and what their ideal of an “ideal community” would be. Analysis of the interview data showed that local residents were particularly concerned about three aspects of the future: they wanted to be able to enjoy a sense of security, to have living space in which they can relax, and to have a living environment conducive to the cultivation of modern citizens able to think deeply about important issues.
The survey results showed widespread concern among opinion leaders that the younger generation is developing warped values; they are worried that this could lead to a situation in which society possesses marvelous technology and facilities, but with no cultural depth to underpin it. Opinion leaders feel that mutual assistance and the maintenance of emotional ties within the community should not depend solely on cold, soulless machinery and monitoring equipment. While “remote medicine” is becoming increasingly popular, patients still want to be able to have personal contact with medical personnel; this emotional “exchange” is difficult to replace.
These are all problems that local residents will have to tackle in the future; they cannot rely on information technology’s computing and virtualization capabilities to solve these problems for them. These needs are closely linked to the three main needs outlined above: being able to enjoy a sense of security, to have living space in which they can relax, and to have a living environment conducive to the cultivation of modern citizens able to think deeply about important issues. While the elements that make up the “smart city” will of course require support and services provided by information technology, meeting these three key needs is also a prerequisite for successful implementation.
According to three leading figures in Taiwan’s manufacturing sector:
Cloud computing will open the door to manufacturing servitization
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
According to the Cloud Computing Vision for Manufacturing formulated by III-IDEAS, cloud computing can be utilized to develop high-value-added services, create new value and boost profits at all three stages of the production process: cloud computing can be used in planning and design at the pre-manufacturing stage, in manufacturing management at the manufacturing stage, and in value-added services at the post-manufacturing stage.
One of the key sources of competitive advantage for Taiwan’s manufacturing sector is the manufacturing, production and innovation capabilities that Taiwanese manufacturers have built up during the many years in which they have followed the OEM/ODM model. If integrated with cloud computing, these capabilities have the potential to create a new “OCM” model of hardware-software integration that would be unique to Taiwan. The OCM model would boost value-added creation throughout the value chain, and has applications not only for manufacturing but also to service provision.
“The cloud computing market of the future will be different from the notebook PC market of the past. With notebook PC ODM/OEM, the focus was on supply chain management, whereas in cloud computing the emphasis will be on value chain competition. In the old ODM/OEM market, the company that had the lowest costs could secure the orders, but with cloud computing you are competing to see who can provide the customer with the most value” says Quanta Computer Chairman Barry Lin, explaining why cloud computing will be the key weapon that enables Taiwan’s manufacturing industry to upgrade and refashion itself as service industry.
Jerry Kuo, Chairman of Hon Hai (Taiwan’s largest private-sector manufacturing company), says that the future will be the era of the Internet, and that Hon Hai cannot afford to get left behind. Kuo explains that Hon Hai has actually implementing a “Three Screens, One Cloud” strategy for some time now, without making a big fanfare about it.
Last year, TSMC (one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies) built an “unmanned factory.” TSMC Chairman Morris Chang believes that could computing will lead to a transformation of nano-era semiconductor technology, and that it will help to reduce lead time for TSMC’s customers, while also reducing IC development costs.
According to Dr. Chang Jin-Fu, Minister without Portfolio, Executive Yuan:
Cloud computing has an important role to play in industrial upgrading, by supporting the development of innovative, highly competitive software
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
Cloud computing has been one of the hottest topics in high technology in the last few years, but what impact is it having on Taiwanese industry? What changes will cloud computing bring, and what new business opportunities will it create for Taiwan? In an interview with Ideas, Dr. Chang Jin-Fu, Minister without Portfolio, Executive Yuan, pointed out that active promotion of IT application promotion projects such as the e-Taiwan, M-Taiwan and i-Taiwan plans has helped to give Taiwan IT capabilities that are among the strongest in the world, and has won Taiwan widespread international acclaim.
Dr. Chang emphasizes that the impact of cloud computing will be comparable to that of the first industrial revolution, in so far as it will lead to a complete transformation of the international division of labor. Industries throughout the world will need to consider how they can exploit cloud computing to transform and upgrade themselves. Developing nations in particular will be eager to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their industrial structure.
Cloud computing has a very important role to play in Taiwan’s transformation from a manufacturing-oriented economy into a service-oriented economy. The government is promoting cloud computing adoption in a carefully planned, systematic manner, and is allocating resources to support this. To build consensus, in September 2009 the Science and Technology Advisory Group, Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Economic Affairs organized a Cloud Computing Strategic Forum, which attracted enthusiastic participation from government, industry, universities and research institutes, and provoked a very positive response.
Traditionally, Taiwan's IT sector has focused mainly on manufacturing, and the software industry has been relatively small. Cloud computing has an important role to play in the transformation and upgrading of the IT sector by facilitating the provision of high value-added application software and services that can enhance Taiwan’s competitiveness and help it to maintain its status as a leading player in the global IT sector.
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