This article is based on an interview undertaken by FusionMedium's technology 
online media, TechOrange, and published with permission:

In recent years, the high-tech manufacturing market has been making efforts to 
respond to the demand for diversified smart devices. With an increasing demand 
for customized AI chips, such components cannot be produced in traditional 
supply chain models.

To meet the needs of tomorrow, Taiwan AI chip start-up Kneron has been 
developing its own AI system on monolithic chips since 2015. The firm has 
already established a presence in the United States, mainland China, Taiwan, 
and Northeast Asia. Albert Liu, Founder & CEO of Kneron, said that since the 
first day of operation, Kneron has stood by its mission of "making AI 
ubiquitous", and expects that in the future, for every terminal device, Kneron 
will be the provider of the intelligent AI chips that run it.

How does Kneron take the lead in the AI market? CEO Albert Liu: Fast, early and 
hard-working

"We are just faster, earlier, and more determined than others." Compared with 
the world's major manufacturers, Kneron realized the importance of implementing 
applications early. So the chip maker started to focus on developing products 
and customers from the time when the concept of edge AI was still new and yet 
relatively unknown. 

"In the process of AI industrialization, it is also important to know the 
characteristics, acceptance, and timeline of each market," Liu said. Since the 
Chinese market is highly receptive to new things and is open to the quick 
introduction of new products, in 2016 Kneron partnered with Chinese Internet 
companies Tencent Holdings and Baidu to roll out a pure cloud-based AI 
algorithm service, acquiring a large amount of car data and gained a head start 
in the industry.

Now in its seventh year, Kneron's product lines are divided into four major 
categories. In the server market, customers include Quanta Computer and 
Chunghwa Telecom. In the Internet of Things segment, customers include Hanwha 
group, D-Link, and Italy's Spark Security. In automotive, customers are mainly 
Chinese and Japanese brands, including Toyota and Nissan, among others. In 
recent years, Kneron has also partnered with MIH Consortium and Zhongxing Bus.

Identifying the demand of a decentralized architecture for the vehicles of the 
future, Kneron enters the automotive market with "Lego-style" chips

Liu said that the reason that Kneron decided to enter the automotive field in 
2020 is closely related to the industrial introduction cycle. The introduction 
cycle of the automotive pre-loading sector, from the start of a collaboration 
to actual mass production, often spans 3 to 5 years. Currently, vendors are few 
that can accommodate such a long partnership cycle and deliver AI, chip and 
system solutions.

To meet the needs of application-side customers, Kneron's strategy is to 
develop vertical product lines - software, applications, models, and underlying 
chips - in a single package that can be adjusted simultaneously demonstrating 
its flexibility and flexible differentiation advantage.

What are the future challenges for Taiwan's automotive supply chain?

Taiwanese manufacturers want to start solving the challenges faced by the 
automotive market with AI chips. Commenting on this, Liu said frankly that the 
innate lack of a complete automotive industry structure is Taiwan's biggest 
challenge.

Liu said this is why Kneron still generates 70-80% of its revenue from overseas 
markets. In addition, Kneron has been directly connecting with the world in 
terms of both talent and market, including recruiting seasoned engineers and 
executives from Taiwan, mainland China and the United States.

In addition to expanding into international markets, Kneron is actively 
cultivating the local AI ecosystem in Taiwan, including promoting AI-related 
education courses in rural elementary schools, high schools, and universities, 
as well as joining the AI on Chip Industrial Cooperation Strategic Alliance 
launched by the Smart Electronics Industry Project Promotion Office (SIPO) of 
the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The 
Alliance also helped introduce partners from the upstream and downstream of the 
industry chain to jointly invest in the development of core AI on Chip areas, 
and expand the international visibility and competitiveness of Taiwan's AI 
industry as a whole.

"Taiwan has mastered the three most important elements of the AI era: data, 
cutting-edge algorithms, and computing power (semiconductors). With a solid 
supply chain in Taiwan, we believe our prospects look promising for success in 
the AI era. I look forward to the day we can give back to our hometown instead 
of investing in businesses and national policies in other countries."

Contact: Shine Chiu, +886 919-031-282, shine@fusionmedium.com

Source: Fusionmedium