2026-06-09
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) today announced the 11 award-winning teams in the fourth batch of the IC Taiwan Grand Challenge (ICTGC) at the IC Taiwan Grand Challenge award ceremony and unveil held during InnoVEX 2026 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2. The teams were selected from 209 startups, academic, and research teams worldwide.
The event, which featured an innovation unveil and a themed pavilion, highlighted ICTGC’s tangible progress in linking international startup technologies with Taiwan’s semiconductor and ICT industry ecosystem.
ICTGC Highlights Taiwan’s Role in Linking IC and AI Innovation
In his remarks, NSTC Vice Minister Chen-Kang Su said that ICTGC, launched by the NSTC in 2024, is designed to leverage Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and ICT to attract global innovators in IC design, chip application development, and system integration, while supporting them in establishing a presence in Taiwan and collaborating with local industry partners.
Since its launch, the competition has attracted applications from nearly 600 startups across 56 countries on five continents. International startups account for more than 70% of all applicants, demonstrating that ICTGC has gradually become an important gateway for global semiconductor and AI startups to learn about Taiwan, build ties with Taiwan, and establish a presence in the country.
The 11 award-winning teams in this batch come from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Israel, and Taiwan. The winning teams spans four major domains of the competition: AI Core Technologies & Chips, covering AI chip design, AI systems, hardware acceleration, generative AI applications, large language models, and cybersecurity; Smart Mobility, covering electric vehicles, autonomous driving, smart cities, telecommunications, and drones; Smart Manufacturing, covering smart manufacturing, semiconductor process technologies, and robotics; and Sustainability, covering sustainable manufacturing, energy-efficiency innovation, and new energy technologies.
In the AI Core Technologies & Chips track, the award-winning teams are France-based Aniah.ai; U.S.-based Leafy Lab, Vellex Computing, and Oculi; Germany-based Linque; U.K.-based Infiniflux; Japan-based TopoLogic; and Taiwan-based ROCKCORE Technology. Israel-based Caesarea Labs was named the award-winning team in the Smart Manufacturing track, U.S.-based STR8 Industries in the Smart Mobility track, and U.S.-based ThermoVerse in the Sustainability track.
Together, these teams address critical needs across the AI value chain, from core chip technologies and computing infrastructure to the real-world deployment of smart applications.
From June 2nd to 5th, the 11 award-winning teams will showcase their innovative technologies at the ICTGC Pavilion (Booth No. S0724) during InnoVEX 2026, where they will engage with industry players from Taiwan and abroad for technology matchmaking and business opportunities.
Two Success Cases Highlight ICTGC’s Support for Startups in Taiwan
In addition to selecting 11 high-potential startup teams from Taiwan and abroad, ICTGC will also feature two notable teams from its previous three batches at the ICTGC Pavilion during InnoVEX 2026, bringing the total number of exhibiting startup teams to 13. ICTGC continues to help these teams build concrete ties with Taiwan’s industrial supply chain.
One representative case is TurboNext.ai, an award-winning team from Singapore. The company focuses on AI software optimization, enabling existing server infrastructure to run several times faster. With ICTGC’s support, TurboNext.ai has successfully connected with a leading IC design service provider in Taiwan. The team is expected to tape out a validation chip in the third quarter of this year and has completed proof-of-concept validation, achieving a 3x to 5x speedup. TurboNext.ai has also established an R&D site in Hsinchu, choosing Taiwan as a base for long-term development.
Another notable ICTGC case is 3D Architech, a U.S.-based startup selected in a previous batch. The company has developed industry-leading 3D microstructured liquid-cooling technology, providing next-generation thermal solutions for AI servers. With support from ICTGC, the team will conduct proof-of-concept validation using a microchannel heat spreader. After the validation is completed, ICTGC will further help the team connect with Taiwanese industry resources.
NSTC said ICTGC’s core mission is to “open Taiwan’s doors to global technology talent and attract them to establish a presence in Taiwan and work with local industry partners.” By connecting innovative technologies from around the world with Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and ICT, the program aims to build a closer cooperation network across Taiwan’s semiconductor and ICT ecosystem. NSTC also expressed hope that participants and stakeholders will “gain insight into the limitless possibilities of technological innovation and applications” during the event and help bring new momentum to the development of AI and semiconductor applications in Taiwan.
