The Ministry of Economic Affairs Assists in the Cooperation between Meta and III to establish Asia's First "Metaverse XR Hub". Taiwan's Metaverse "National Team" Leads the Future of Digital Development.

Caption:
On May 6th 2022, Meta and the Institute for Information Industry (III) announced that Meta will establish its Asia's first "XR Hub Taiwan" in Taiwan. The event specially invited President Ing-wen Tsai to attend and participate in the launching ceremony. The picture shows all the VIPs taking a photo together. From the left: Deputy Director General Pei-li Chen of the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Director Sandra Oudkirk of the American Institute in Taiwan, President Ing-wen Tsai, General Manager Stephanie Chu of Meta, Vice Minister Chuan-neng Lin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, President Cheng-hung Cho of the Institute for Information Industry.


Caption:
President Ing-wen Tsai interacted with the virtual receptionist before the launch ceremony of "Metaverse XR Hub Taiwan" on May 6th 2022.


Caption: President Ing-wen Tsai visited "Metaverse XR Hub Taiwan", and tried to understand the excellent new digital applications of Metaverse developed by the teams from Taiwan.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs brings international resources to Taiwan! On May 6th 2022, Meta and the Institute for Information Industry (III) announced that Meta will establish its Asia's first "XR Hub Taiwan" in Taiwan. The space of this industrial community is located in digiBlock C. In addition to showcasing the creative content developed by Taiwan's Metaverse "National Team", the hub will also become the center for Taiwan's Metaverse policy discussion and industry information convergence in the future, which will accelerate talent cultivation, content development, and technological innovation in Taiwan's various industries, and create a local XR ecosystem in Taiwan for the future benefits of all.

"Metaverse XR Hub Taiwan" was jointly launched by President Ing-wen Tsai, Vice Minister Chuan-neng Lin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Director Sandra Oudkirk of the American Institute in Taiwan, Deputy Director General Pei-li Chen of the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, President Cheng-hung Cho of the Institute for Information Industry, and General Manager Stephanie Chu of Meta. Including Chairperson Siao-jing Ding of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, Executive VP Elina Lee of Taiwan External Trade Development Council, and Secretary General Enoch Du of Taipei Computer Association, various distinguished guests attended the ceremony to witness the birth of the Taiwan Metaverse Base and provide solid support to the metaverse "National Team", which will lead the future of digital development and mark the important milestones in Taiwan’s journey towards the era of metaverse.

Chuan-neng Lin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, also mentioned that, "I am so thankful to Meta Corporation, as well as the teams from the Industrial Development Bureau and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, for establishing a metaverse industrial cluster at Yuan-shan, and collaborating with talents from the digital industrial cluster at digiBlock C, which will serve as the center for Taiwan to move towards the era of metaverse. For a long period of time, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has been committed to promoting the development of the digital economy and smart content industry, from various digital content creation and 3D computer animation industry, to the popular technologies in recent years such as augmented reality(AR), virtual reality(VR), Holography, and Digital Twins, etc. While these technologies are applied in various professional fields, a variety of wonderful results are presented."

In addition, Meta Global Product Director Chris Cox, who was unable to visit Taiwan in person due to the pandemic, also stated, "Taiwan is not only the ‘silicon island’ of Asia, but also a crucial technology supply chain partner, and also has many active and outstanding creators, artists, researchers and developers. For these reasons, we are excited to join hands with the Institute for Information Industry to officially launch in Taiwan the first Metaverse XR Hub. Like our vision to develop the Metaverse, the goals of this new community space are to foster the spirit of innovation, encourage emerging technologies, and support Taiwan's active ecosystem, including hardware manufacturing partners as well as software development partners and creators. I believe that Taiwan is not only an important stronghold for the Metaverse team, but it will also be a key hub for driving global innovation. "

Cheng-hung Cho, President of the Institute for Information Industry, said in the interview, "The Institute for Information Industry carries out the mission to act as the Digital Transformation Enabler to promote the digital transformation of the industry. This time, the cooperation with Meta to promote the first Metaverse XR Hub Taiwan in Asia will help establish a friendly cycle of digital innovation, digital adaptation, and digital transformation. It is hoped that the resources from our international partner can be introduced to accelerate the implementation of Metaverse applications in Taiwan. In the future, III will continue to focus on the development of three main areas in Taiwan, including
culture and art, economics and business, as well as social welfare.

Jointly established by Meta and the Institute for Information Industry, the community space "Metaverse XR Hub Taiwan" this time also exhibited the creative content developed by the "National Team" composed of professionals from the metaverse industry of Taiwan, whose team members include Taiwan VTuber Association, Taiwan Digital Twin Academy, and Animation & Visual Effects Association, etc. The final works include the use of motion capture technology to present the VTuber's real-time interaction with the on-site VIPs, and the utilization of digital twin technology to present a precise 3D modeling of the 82-year-old historical building in Kaohsiung, Shoyoen Japanese Garden. Also, eye tracking technology was applied to provide real-time tour guidance for an online tour without the need to have real physical contact with a human being. It is worth mentioning that the 3D work " FORMOSA 3D " by director Charlie Chu, who has won the Hollywood International 3D Award, was also displayed on the spot, taking the audience to experience the beauty of Taiwan's local craftsmanship as well as humanities and arts through AR. 
 
【Media Contact】
Digital Transformation Research Institute (III) - Regional Industry Service Division
Afu Hsu Tel: (02) 6607-3895 afuhsu@iii.org.tw
SANDY LIN Tel: (02) 2592-2681 #317 sandycclin@iii.org.tw
Center for Marketing Strategy (III)
Joy Yen Tel: (02) 6631-8635 joyyen@iii.org.tw
Ying Shen Tel: (02) 6631-8643 yingshen@iii.org.tw
Esther Huang Tel: (02) 6631-8641 estherhuang@iii.org.tw