The theme of the “MIC Forum” was “Turning the Tables on the Future.” The theme was chosen because of massive tremors in global politics and the economy, the rapid convergence and obsolescence of emerging technologies, as well as the US-China trade war showing signs of triggering even more conflicts instead of slowing down; at the same time, Taiwan is going through a presidential election so there are many political and economic variables in play. How can the Taiwanese ICT industry that plays an important role in the global economy look for opportunities to turn the tables and unlock a future of endless possibilities?
The first Chinese characters of the “MIC Forum” theme also spell out “Turn-Around.” The exchange of viewpoints regarding trends and business strategies with industry elites at the end of 2019 served as the stepping stone to the next new age in 2020. The forum was even more meaningful with discussions assessing the current situation and initiatives leading businesses in turning the tables.
The three core topics at the forum were global industry and economy, 5G, and digital innovation. A two-dimensional framework constituting of industrial development and application was used in combination with critical issues and innovative applications in vertical sectors to share pioneering views on industry technology, emerging services, innovative application and development strategies.
The topic for day 1 was the observation and analysis of how the US-China trade war has turned into a war of technology. The emerging trend of global ICT industry supply chain transfer, shortening or fragmentation appeared to be disadvantaged in the short term but, in the long run, provided future opportunities. Carefully choosing the right strategy might create the chance to turn the tables. For example, the return of the production or R&D of high value products to Taiwan may be accelerated And those of other products are moved to New Southbound countries to focus on the local consumer market and speed up the development of new markets. The global supply chain will become more regionalized and localized to build a shipping model based on flexible production.
The topics for discussion days 2 and 3 focused on 5G and AI developments. Now that 5G is gathering the steam, MIC suggested that vendors should look at the opportunities in devices, materials and components brought about by global 5G developments. Special attention should be paid to the manufacturing, medical and energy industries in particular. In some cases, the high bandwidth, high connections, low latency and ultra-high reliability characteristics of 5G may even be integrated with AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) to give birth to a wide variety of innovative applications and services.
MIC observed that new technologies have boundless applications. Participants in the forum have become quite diverse over the last few years and are no longer limited to the ICT industry. The manufacturing, financial, medical, retail and energy industries have become active participants as well. The types of industries were particularly diverse in 2019, a testament to the influence and R&D capabilities of III’s “MIC Forum”. After the “MIC Forum”, a number of vendors asked MIC analysts to meet and talk with their senior executives on company strategies.
In addition, MIC will develop themes for the forum in 2020 based on customer requirements through participant feedback. Focus will remain on the vibrant development of innovative application models for 5G and AI but these topics will be approached from more diverse angles. III hopes to work with businesses and collectively concentrate on pioneering business opportunities in the industry as well as seize the key to victory.