EP3-18 | AI News : Robotics + AI: Taiwan’s Next Industry

Robotics and AI are becoming core foundational capabilities of the physical economy. As AI extends from cloud-based models into hospitals, logistics centers, and a wide range of service environments, robots increasingly carry functions of perception, reasoning, and decision-making, directly translating into measurable gains in productivity, system reliability, and operational safety. Together, they are emerging as critical infrastructure supporting the operation of modern society.

Taiwan has established “Robotics + AI” as a key direction in its future industrial布局, responding to the long-term challenge of a highly concentrated industrial structure. While semiconductors remain a central pillar, their capital-intensive nature and limited spillover effects mean that the next phase of growth must come from a new industrial curve. The National Development Council has therefore been tasked with identifying scalable, repeatable, and extensible industry models—channeling Taiwan’s deep strengths in hardware, engineering, and systems integration into professional, service-oriented robotics, with priority deployment in healthcare, long-term care, logistics, and facility management where demand is clear.

Along this trajectory, the government’s role is evolving into that of an industry accelerator. By integrating R&D outputs and supporting the formation of new robotics companies, it is laying the groundwork for private capital and startups to enter, scale, and participate sustainably. This episode approaches the topic through the lens of industrial structure and policy logic, explaining why Taiwan has positioned Robotics + AI at the core of its next industrial phase, and how this strategy may shape the country’s economic future.

機器人與 AI 正成為實體經濟運作的核心底層能力。隨著 AI 從雲端模型延伸至醫院、物流中心與各類服務場域，機器人逐步承載感知、判斷與決策功能，並直接轉化為可量化的生產力、系統穩定度與營運安全，成為支撐現代社會運作的重要基礎設施。

臺灣已將「機器人＋AI」確立為未來產業布局的關鍵方向，回應產業結構高度集中的長期挑戰。半導體仍是核心支柱，但其資本密集與產業外溢有限，使得下一階段成長動能必須來自新的產業曲線。國發會因此被賦予尋找可延展、可複製、可擴散產業模式的任務，將臺灣深厚的硬體、工程與系統整合能力，導入專業用、服務型機器人領域，並優先落地於醫療、長照、物流與場域管理等需求明確的應用場景。

在這個方向上，政府的角色將成為產業成形的推進器。透過整合研發成果整合、成立新的機器人企業，將可為民間資本與新創團隊鋪設可進場、可放大的基礎。本集從產業結構與政策邏輯切入，解析臺灣以機器人與 AI 作為下一階段產業核心的理由，以及這項布局對臺灣經濟可能帶來的深層影響。