Taipei: Intelligent Asia 2026, Taiwan's largest industrial trade show, kicked off on Wednesday, featuring approximately 1,200 exhibitors from 16 countries. This grand exposition is showcasing cutting-edge technologies, including AI-powered robots, advanced automation, and "smart" logistics systems. The event is scheduled to run through August 22 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center's Halls 1 and 2.
According to Focus Taiwan, the primary attraction of the show is the robotics supply chain, highlighting key technologies essential for humanoid robots. These include AI computing, visual recognition, sensing systems, motion control, power supplies, servo motors, and joint actuators. Prominent companies such as Solomon, Techman Robot, Advantech, NEXCOM, SW Robot, Aurotek, Chieftek Precision, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries are presenting their research and development capabilities and expertise in providing crucial robotic components.
The trade show also includes businesses specializing in fluid power, high-intensity laser therapy, smart molding, 3D printing, and cold-chain logistics. During the opening ceremony, Premier Cho Jung-tai announced that the Cabinet has allocated NT$229.3 billion (US$7.2 billion) for technological development in the 2027 general budget, marking a 12.8 percent increase from the current year's funding. Of this, NT$40.8 billion is designated for AI development, representing a 25 percent increase from this year, in preparation for the AI era.
CiLS, a Taiwanese company participating in the exhibition, is displaying its autonomous mobile robot (AMR) carrier and AMR forklift. Ritz Chang, a senior project manager at CiLS, explained that the carrier is versatile and can be used for unloading cargo at ports, delivering medical records in hospitals, or food delivery. Chang noted that several food delivery services in the United States are employing thousands of AI-driven delivery couriers due to global low birth rates and high wages in the U.S. These AI couriers, he added, do not tire and offer more scheduling flexibility.
HIWIN Technologies Corp., a leading Taiwanese manufacturer of robotic arms, is showcasing a humanoid robot designed for supply chain components and an eight-axis robotic arm capable of complex movements in confined spaces like containers. Kyle Wong, HIWIN's deputy general manager, stated that the company developed these robots in anticipation of increased automation in the logistics sector. Wong emphasized the need for robots to handle repetitive and monotonous tasks, which fewer people want to undertake.
In addition to Taiwanese companies, exhibitors from China, Vietnam, Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and the Netherlands are participating, as reported by the organizers.