# From Silicon to Steel: Taiwan Takes Its Physical AI Push to Silicon Valley

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/from-silicon-to-steel-taiwan-takes-its-physical-ai-push-to-silicon-valley
- Published: 2026-10-07T09:35:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Taiwan is taking its Physical AI 
ambitions to Silicon Valley, bringing semiconductor companies and AI startups together
with U.S. technology leaders to explore how AI can move from models and simulations
into factories, machines and other real-world environments.

[⌊From left: David Lin, AVP of AI Enterprise & GTM at Phison; John Chang, Founder
and CEO of JMEM TEK; and Sharon Ku, Solutions Development Head at NeuroShine, join
Uly Su, Director and Head of Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub, for the“
From Silicon Up” fireside discussion.⌉⌊From left: David Lin, AVP of AI Enterprise&
GTM at Phison; John Chang, Founder and CEO of JMEM TEK; and Sharon Ku, Solutions
Development Head at NeuroShine, join Uly Su, Director and Head of Startup Island
TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub, for the “From Silicon Up” fireside discussion.⌉[
From left:
David Lin, AVP of AI Enterprise & GTM at Phison; John Chang, Founder and CEO of 
JMEM TEK; and Sharon Ku, Solutions Development Head at NeuroShine, join Uly Su, 
Director and Head of Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub, for the “From Silicon
Up” fireside discussion.

Held around Taiwan Tech Week, the "Silicon to Steel: A Physical AI Stack Mixer" 
brought Taiwanese companies into conversation with leaders from Phison Electronics
and Applied Materials. Co-hosted by Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub and
SparkLabs Taiwan, the event featured startups working across memory, semiconductor
security, simulation, AI agents and enterprise AI.

Uly Su, Director and Head of Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub, moderated
the first fireside discussion, while SparkLabs Taiwan Founder and Managing Partner
Edgar Chiu moderated the second.

"Most importantly, what does Physical AI mean and how can we turn that technology
into something to be commercialized?" Chiu said.

Five Taiwanese startups, JMEMTEK, NeuroShine, metAI, MORALE AI and APMIC, participated
in the discussions.

**Building the Physical AI stack**

The first discussion focused on the infrastructure required as AI moves beyond software.

Daniel Lin, AVP of AI Ecosystem & GTM at Phison Electronics, said AI is pushing 
the company beyond its traditional hardware role. "Phison is moving from silicon
to system, to a total solution provider," he said, pointing to memory as a growing
bottleneck for AI workloads.

Security and data control are also becoming critical as AI enters physical and mission-
critical environments. JMEMTEK Founder and CEO John Chang highlighted semiconductor
security and post-quantum cryptography, while NeuroShine Business Development Head
Sharon Ko emphasized the importance of protecting enterprise data.

The second discussion examined the transition from simulation to the factory floor.

Daniel Wu, Co-Founder and CEO of metAI, said the company is working with TSMC to
automate the creation of digital twins, reducing the time required to build detailed
factory simulations.

But simulation has limits. Colette Wu, Chief of Staff at Applied Materials, said
manufacturers still need real-world experimentation because existing data cannot
always predict what happens at the technological frontier.

For startups, she added, strong technology alone is not enough. Companies need a
clearly validated problem, an internal sponsor and an economic case for deployment.

**Making AI work for manufacturers**

MORALE AI Co-Founder and CEO Phil Kao said startups need to speak the language of
manufacturing, demonstrating impact through metrics such as production efficiency,
quality, downtime and overall equipment effectiveness rather than model accuracy
alone.

APMIC CMO and U.S. General Manager Ian Chen highlighted another challenge: navigating
the internal decision-making structures of large enterprises.

The conversations also underscored the importance of local networks for Taiwanese
startups entering the U.S. market. Chang said startups need to actively participate
in Silicon Valley ecosystems, while Ko said Taiwanese companies must shift from 
simply demonstrating technology to listening first and understanding U.S. customers’
problems.

Together, the discussions highlighted a Physical AI stack extending from semiconductors,
memory and security to simulation, domain expertise and deployment in real industrial
environments.

For Taiwan, the emerging field offers a way to build on its semiconductor and manufacturing
strengths while connecting with Silicon Valley customers, capital, software capabilities
and global partnerships.

Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub was established in Palo Alto in 2025 
with support from Taiwan’s National Development Council to help Taiwanese startups
enter and expand in the U.S. market. SparkLabs Taiwan, part of the global SparkLabs
investment network, has supported more than 80 AI and deep-tech founders since 2018.

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