UK startups eye Taiwan to scale technology

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — British startups and venture capital firms are increasingly turning to Taiwan as a partner for scaling and commercializing technology, CNA reported Thursday.

At a forum hosted by Systemiq Capital during London Tech Week, Chiang Ya-chi (江雅綺), Taiwan’s deputy representative to the UK, said Taiwan’s industrial ecosystem and manufacturing strengths complement the UK’s strengths in research and intellectual property. She said the two sides could build competitive technology companies together.

Chiang noted that many leading US tech firms have relied on Taiwan’s manufacturing sector to scale globally. She cited Nvidia’s partnership with TSMC as an example of how innovation can be turned into global businesses through Taiwan-linked supply chains.

Liu Chiu-ming (劉久銘), head of Global Tech Advocates’ semiconductor working group, said Western countries are strong at the “0-to-1” stage of innovation, while Taiwan specializes in scaling technologies from “1 to infinity” through large-scale production. He added that Taiwan’s AI-driven growth has also created firms and investors with capital to support startups.

Liu said Taiwanese firms prioritize commercial viability and scale, making them cautious investors. However, he said startups with strong technologies can tap Taiwan’s manufacturing base and industrial networks to accelerate expansion.

He added that Taiwan’s manufacturing sector is known for neutrality, which could become more important as Europe seeks alternatives to US and Chinese tech ecosystems.

Systemiq Capital investment associate Jasper Wigley said chips and computing infrastructure are essential to AI development. He said Taiwan is home to one of the world’s most critical ecosystems in these areas, making cooperation important for startup growth.