Taiwan, Japan showcase AI-ready all-photonics network for smart city applications

Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (front), National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (right), Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (left second), legislator Chen Ting-fei (right second) and Tainan Deputy Mayor Chao Ching-hui (left) attend a demonstration of smart service robot applications during the “Sovereign AI – Taiwan-Japan All-Photonics Network Smart City Applications Launch Event” and the “First AI Impact: Smart City and Greater Southern Taiwan Achievements Showcase” in Tainan, Taiwan, April 28, 2026. The event highlighted cooperation between Taiwan’s central and local governments in promoting the “Greater Southern Silicon Valley” initiative and showcased applications of all-photonics networks in computing resilience, smart healthcare and remote operations.

Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) on April 28th showcased a series of smart city applications powered by all-photonics network (APN) technology, highlighting Taiwan-Japan cooperation in next-generation AI infrastructure.

The demonstrations were part of Taiwan’s “Greater Southern Silicon Valley Initiative,” which aims to strengthen the island’s AI and digital infrastructure capabilities.
 

Applications presented at the event included AI-based traffic systems, remote autonomous vehicle operations, smart healthcare services and real-time cross-border translation livestreams between Taiwan and Japan.
 

Officials said the technologies rely on all-photonics networks, which use optical signals instead of conventional electronic transmission methods to improve data speed, reduce latency and lower energy consumption.
 

The NSTC said growing demand for AI computing, including autonomous driving, AI image recognition and smart city systems, is increasing pressure on existing network infrastructure and data centers.
 

Taiwan is positioning itself to play a larger role in AI-related hardware and infrastructure development through technologies such as silicon photonics, co-packaged optics (CPO), AI data centers and cloud computing systems, the council said.
 

The project also plans to connect APN nodes across Tainan’s Shalun district, the Southern Taiwan Science Park, Taichung and Hsinchu, while linking with AI data centers in Japan.
 

The initiative reflects broader efforts by Taiwan and Japan to develop AI-ready infrastructure and expand smart city applications across transportation, healthcare and digital governance sectors.