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The world's biggest heavyweights in chipmaking and artificial intelligence will converge this week for Taiwan's premier tech expo, with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expected to give a rockstar welcome in his keynote speech on Sunday.
The 2024 edition of Computex has a lot of interest thanks to the participation of not only Huang, but also some of Nvidia's main competitors in AI hardware, including AMD, Qualcomm and Intel.
Computex is the top annual tech showcase in Taiwan, whose innovative semiconductor industry is critical to the manufacture of everything from iPhones to servers running ChatGPT.
“This is the beginning of our company's business because we make our wafers here, and make our systems here,” Huang told reporters last week.
Huang, who was born in Taiwan, enjoys celebrity status on the island, with media attention and fans stopping him for autographs and selfies wherever he goes.
That's largely thanks to Nvidia becoming the undisputed world leader in the specialized chips and hardware needed for cutting-edge AI.
The day before his speech at National Taiwan University, Huang threw out the opening pitch before a baseball game in Taipei.
And on Thursday, he dined with some of Taiwan's tech industry leaders, including the head of Apple supplier Foxconn.
AMD's Lisa Su and Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon are also scheduled to deliver keynote speeches at Computex.
Su is expected to outline AMD's plans to compete in cutting-edge AI, according to organizers, while Amon will “showcase the AI-accelerated experiences users can expect from their next-generation PCs.” are”, according to the organizers.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and British chip design giant Arm Rene Haas will also speak at the event.
Tech firms are betting big on AI, and Taiwanese manufacturers are central to their plans — the island produces the bulk of the world's most advanced semiconductors, including some of the most powerful AI applications and research. are required for
Suppliers like Foxconn, which has traditionally focused on contract electronics for the likes of Apple, have also dabbled in developing AI hardware in recent years.
Foxconn CEO Ying Liu told shareholders on Friday that the firm's global market share for AI servers will grow to 40 percent this year.
However, Taiwan's centrality in the supply chain for semiconductors — the lifeblood of the modern economy — has become a concern in capitals and boardrooms around the world.
Taiwan is self-ruled, but China claims the island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.
In recent years, relations between Beijing and Taipei have soured and the Chinese military has conducted a number of large-scale exercises around the island — including a simulated blockade.