2024 Smart City Summit & Expo: AI is Everywhere

The 11^th Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) is set to kick off on March 19, spanning four days. The organizers, Taipei Computer Association, National Development Council, and Kaohsiung City Government, will welcome over 2,000 government and industry VIPs from 46 countries or regions in two exhibition areas in Taipei and Kaohsiung. During the exhibition, the Net Zero City Leaders Summit and City COP: Improving City Resilience through Digital Smart Solutions will take place, facilitating discussions among international guests on the development strategies for smart and net-zero cities. Additionally, secretaries-general from international organizations ICLEI, CityNet, and WeGO, along with the CEO of the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), formed by global tech giants, will participate in the event. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) will also unveil the results of the Smart 21 city selection during the exhibition. The presence of these global dignitaries underscores Taiwan’s pivotal role in supporting the development of smart or net-zero cities worldwide.

To promote the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, Taipei Computer Association has been organizing SCSE since 2014, now the largest IoT industry expo in Asia. In 2022, the Kaohsiung City Government joined as a co-organizer. According to the International Energy Agency’s estimate, urban energy consumption accounts for 67% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cities are not only on the frontline against climate change but also crucial places for achieving net-zero emissions. Thus, Taipei Computer Association, in collaboration with the National Development Council, expands on the existing SCSE to host the “2050 Net Zero City Expo.” Through connecting domestic and international cities and sharing net-zero technology solutions, the event aims to accelerate Taiwan’s pace towards achieving net-zero goals and demonstrate Taiwan’s determination to collaborate with global cities for digital and green transformation.

Jason Chen, Chairman of the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance, stated that this year’s exhibition in Taipei and Kaohsiung has a 13% increase from last year with a total of 600 exhibitors utilizing 2,200 booths. Over 2,000 overseas visitors from 46 countries or regions, a 16% growth from last year, including representatives from 112 cities, over 400 governmental delegates, and 80 mayors, as well as over 1,600 corporate visitors, set new records in both exhibition scale and international attendance. With the rapid development of information technologies such as 5G, IoT, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and large language models, innovations of such play crucial roles in smart manufacturing, smart energy, smart transportation, smart healthcare, smart construction, energy conservation, smart cities, and net-zero emissions. The theme of this year’s exhibition is <Digital and Green Transformation>, emphasizing the need for government and businesses to accelerate the pace of the dual transformation through exhibitions and forum discussions.

Deputy Minister of the National Development Council, Shien-Quey Kao, stated that the overall design structure of the second Net Zero City Expo will revolve around the 12 key strategies of the government’s 2050 net-zero emission plan, including wind/solar PV, hydrogen, innovative energy, power systems and energy storage, energy saving, carbon capture, utilization and storage, electric and carbon-free vehicles, resource recycling and zero waste, carbon sinks, net zero green living, green finance, and just transition. The event, through exhibitions and forums, aims to showcase the nation’s determination and achievements towards a net-zero future. Accordingly, eight government ministries, including the National Development Council, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of Environment, National Science and Technology Council, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Finance, and Financial Supervisory Commission, will showcase relevant projects they are responsible for. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance and Financial Supervisory Commission will lead more than 20 public and private banks to showcase financial products necessary for corporate green transformation. This marks the largest-scale green finance event in history, highlighting the government’s commitment to implementing the 2050 net-zero emission policy.

Taipei Computer Association stated that since the global surge in AI development sparked by Open AI, AI applications have permeated various industries and governments. Whether it’s generative AI, edge AI, or any form of AI computation model application, it can simplify communication between city residents and government and enhance the efficiency of citizen services significantly!