Taiwan taps into AI supercomputers for advancements in medical and life sciences

The ASUS Group has collaborated with Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) to advance supercomputer-powered medical research. The strategic collaboration will focus on three key areas: computing power, data, and next-generation medical information. The goal is to create a model similar to the UK’s “Cambridge-1” in Taiwan.

The NHRI first partnered with ASUS in 2022 to establish “NHRI-1,” applying AI technology to smart healthcare. In June 2024, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on “Medical Information Technology and Biomedical Big Data Research and Application.” This joint initiative will utilize medical big data, marking a significant step in public-private partnerships in the AI age.

Supercomputers combined with AI are already widely used for various applications such as weather forecasting, drug development, and disease diagnosis. However, challenges in biochemistry, optimization problems, and cryptography may require multifunctional large-scale quantum computers. Until quantum computing matures, supercomputers will remain crucial in this field.

Nvidia’s “Cambridge-1” in the UK focuses on accelerating healthcare research in medical imaging, genomics, and drug development. It was established in 2021, offering significant AI and Linpack performance. Taiwan’s response to this is the “Taipei-1” supercomputer, allocated for both academic and commercial use.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has commissioned the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) in Taiwan to build “Forerunner 1,” dedicated to research in various scientific fields. With an emphasis on physics, chemistry, mathematics, atmospheric science, engineering applications, and life sciences, these supercomputers play a crucial role in advancing research and innovation.