In order to facilitate experience-sharing in smart city development across Taiwan and promote a prevalence of smart city solutions, the Industrial Development Bureau of the MOEA, along with the Taoyuan City Government co-organized the 2019 Smart City Development Symposium. Centered on transformation for a better future, the Symposium gathered delegates from thepublic and private sectors across Taiwan to share the changes brought about by smart city development, and to discuss the next step in achieving a sustainable future.

The Symposium opened with Dr. Kenny Chen, Director General of the Taoyuan City Governments Department of Information Technology, sharing the citys journey to being named Intelligent Community of the Year. He stressed that cities should identify their own DNA and focus on developing smart solutions with a touch of local characteristics. To help the audience grasp global trends in smart city development, the Symposium also featured Certis, the largest integrated solution provider for smart cities in Singapore, to share its expertise in smart governance by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in providing industrial security and dengue control, as well as the global consulting firm Deloitte to share their insights on finding sustainable business models for smart city solutions.

With support from the Industrial Development Bureau more than half of the cities and counties across Taiwan have received global recognition as intelligent communities, including Taoyuan, Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Hsinchu City and County, Changhua, Chiayi City, Yilan, Tantung, Kinmen, and Lienchiang, bringing the number to a total of 15 out of 22. Just this year, Taoyuan also outshined nearly 400 other cities to be named as the Intelligent Community of the Year by Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).