It is this structural gap that L’AcceleratOR, an initiative led by L’Oréal Groupe in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), has set out to address. Rather than concentrating on the generation of ideas, the programme engages with a more demanding and ultimately more consequential challenge: the conditions under which innovation becomes operational, embedded within supply chains, adopted by incumbents, and capable of sustaining commercial relevance at scale.

In a recent conversation with The Icons, Viola Jardon, Head of Innovation Programmes at CISL, articulated this distinction with clarity. The success of an innovation, she argues, is not defined by its ingenuity in isolation, but by its capacity to be absorbed into the systems it seeks to influence. Transformation, in this sense, is less a function of invention than of integration, determined by whether a solution can move beyond conceptual promise and withstand the practical, often unforgiving realities of industrial deployment.

From Commitment to System-Level Action

As sustainability consolidates its position at the centre of corporate strategy, a more consequential shift is taking place. What began as a response to external pressures has evolved into a redefinition of how value is conceived and created within the firm. It is within this reframed context that L’AcceleratOR has emerged, not as a conventional accelerator, but as a platform designed to test whether innovation can operate within the constraints and complexities of real industrial systems.

“If we were to describe it in CISL’s terms, what we are seeing is a shift from managing risk to redesigning systems,” said Viola Jardon. “In the past, sustainability was often treated as a matter of compliance or risk mitigation. Today, climate, resource constraints and broader societal challenges are understood as systemic risks, ones that, if left unaddressed, will fundamentally undermine long- term business models.”

The implications are structural rather than incremental. This transition requires companies to move beyond optimisation at the margins and towards a more fundamental reconsideration of how value is generated. It also brings into sharper focus a more immediate and practical question: how businesses can sustain growth and remain competitive within a low-carbon, resource-constrained and increasingly volatile environment.

“Leading companies are no longer asking how to become ‘more sustainable’,” Jardon observed. “They are asking a more fundamental question: how do we continue to grow within this new reality?” That question sits at the core of L’AcceleratOR’s design, and reflects a broader inquiry into how global leaders navigate transformation as a structural condition, rather than a temporary response.

The Systemic Barriers to Scaling Innovation

At first sight, the principal challenge confronting sustainable innovation appears to lie in the pursuit of technological breakthroughs. Considered from a systems perspective, however, the constraint is of a different order. A significant number of solutions have already reached technical maturity, yet continue to fall short of widespread adoption, indicating that the underlying obstacle is not invention, but integration.

“We often say that the greatest challenge is not a lack of innovation, but the fact that innovation is not embedded within systems,” said Viola Jardon. “Many solutions are technically ready, but they are not adopted at scale because they do not align with how businesses and markets actually operate, whether in procurement, supply chains, regulation, cost structures, or internal decision- making processes.”

Her observation underscores a persistent disconnect between innovation and implementation. From the perspective of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, for innovation to generate meaningful impact it must satisfy three conditions simultaneously: technical viability, commercial viability and system viability. The absence of any one is sufficient to limit its trajectory. Without integration into the system, even the most sophisticated solutions struggle to deliver durable change.

This pattern is well established. In its ongoing engagement with founders and industry leaders, The Icons has consistently observed that the decisive factor is seldom the quality of the innovation itself, but whether it can be adopted, financed and operationalised within the structures it seeks to reshape.

Embedding Innovation into Industry

Set against this broader shift, the logic underpinning L’AcceleratOR comes into sharper focus. The programme is not designed simply to cultivate early-stage ventures, but to address a more persistent structural gap: the distance between promising innovation and its practical adoption within industry. Its emphasis lies in enabling solutions to move beyond demonstration and into operational reality, where they can be tested, adapted and ultimately scaled within existing systems.

“The original intention behind L’AcceleratOR is to address a fundamental question: how do we move sustainable transformation from commitment to scalable action?” said Viola Jardon. “We see a strong willingness among companies to transition, yet the number of solutions that can be identified, validated and integrated into global value chains remains limited.”

It is at this juncture that the collaboration between the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and industry becomes consequential. From its inception, L’AcceleratOR has been structured with a markedly different set of priorities from conventional accelerators. The objective is not simply to support growth in isolation, but to ensure that innovation is developed in direct relation to the operational realities of large organisations.

“If I were to summarise it in one sentence, I would say that L’AcceleratOR is a platform oriented towards deployment rather than growth,” Jardon observed. “We do not begin with technology; we begin with industry need, and place strong emphasis on embedding solutions within real corporate and value chain contexts.”

Within this framework, the definition of innovation itself is recalibrated. It is no longer judged solely by the novelty or performance of a product, but by its capacity to function within, and ultimately influence, the systems it seeks to transform.

From Product Development to System Change

For the teams selected, the value of L’AcceleratOR lies less in access or visibility than in a more fundamental shift in capability. As solutions are tested within real-world systems, founders are required to move beyond product development and engage with the operational complexity of industry.

“The most significant change is not a single opportunity, but a shift in capability,” said Viola Jardon. “Teams move from developing a product to understanding how to drive change within a complex system.”

This shift is necessarily multi-dimensional. It demands an ability to work with large corporates, to align with procurement and operational constraints, and to design models that can be deployed across markets. Once established, entry into global markets becomes less a question of access and more one of readiness.

It is a decisive inflection point. In practice, the adoption of innovation at scale is rarely determined by technical merit alone, but by whether it can function within, and contribute to, the systems it is intended to reshape.

Opportunities for Chinese Innovators: Scale Advantage and Global Complexity

From a global perspective, China has established a clear competitive edge in sustainable innovation. That advantage is not defined by technology alone, but by the scale, integration and efficiency of its broader industrial system, which enables solutions to be developed, tested and deployed at pace.

“China demonstrates three distinct advantages: its ability to scale, its depth of industrial integration, and the speed of market-driven innovation,” said Viola Jardon.

In this context, China functions not only as a source of innovation, but as a critical amplifier in the global transition. Yet as Chinese teams expand beyond domestic markets, they encounter a markedly more complex environment, shaped by differences in regulation, culture, infrastructure and competitive dynamics.

“There is no universal solution that can be applied across markets,” Jardon observed. “Differences in culture, regulation, competitive landscapes and infrastructure all shape how a solution can be deployed.”

Those that succeed internationally are seldom the ones that attempt to replicate their domestic models without adjustment. More often, they are teams capable of adapting their approach, recalibrating their value proposition and operating effectively across divergent systems. It is precisely this capability that L’AcceleratOR is designed to develop.

Entering the System: Why Waiting Is No Longer an Option

As the discussion draws to a close, Viola Jardon offers a perspective that cuts through much of the hesitation surrounding innovation and scale.

“Systems do not change on their own. Change comes from those who are willing to step into them.”

She challenges a familiar instinct among founders, the tendency to wait until every variable has been resolved before acting. In the context of sustainable transformation, such completeness is neither realistic nor necessary.

“Many founders wait until they feel completely ready. But in the context of sustainable transformation, no one is ever fully ready. What matters more is whether you are willing to test your solution within a global context, to work across industries and cultures, and to continuously adapt within complex systems.”

The implication is a reframing of readiness itself. It is not a condition to be achieved in advance, but a capability developed through engagement. The more pertinent question is no longer whether a solution is fully formed, but whether it is sufficiently robust to be placed within the environments where it can be tested, refined and made consequential.

Viola Jardon currently serves as Head of Innovation Programmes at CISL, where her work centres on building cross-sector partnerships, designing accelerator frameworks and shaping innovation ecosystems. With more than two decades of international experience spanning Asia and the UK, she

has focused on bridging global innovation systems while addressing structural disparities in access to venture networks.

Her contributions to startup acceleration and sustainable innovation have been widely recognised. She is a recipient of the SME News Award 2025, was named in the edie 100 as one of the UK’s most impactful sustainability leaders in 2026, and was a finalist for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards. She is also a TEDx speaker.

Applications for the L’AcceleratOR programme are now open. Interested teams are invited to consult the official application page for further details and submission guidelines. The deadline for this round is 6 May 2026 at 15:00 Beijing time.

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Against this backdrop, countries are beginning to seek new models of technological collaboration to accelerate the industrialization of AI and semiconductor research and development. Supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and jointly promoted by the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR) and the Cybersecurity Hub CZ, theAdvanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC) Taiwan-Czech bilateral research program was born from these industrial needs and the trend in international technological cooperation. The program aims to establish a transnational semiconductor and AI technology cooperation platform by connecting Taiwanese enterprises, academic institutions, and Czech research units, attempting to advance research results into practical industrial applications.

Within the ACDRC program framework, a research team composed of Pedestal Inc. and National Taiwan University (NTU) has partnered with Brno University of Technology and the Czech Technical University in Prague. Their collaboration focuses on key issues such as large language model computing architectures and AI chip efficiency optimization, exploring how Taiwanese semiconductor technology can gradually enter the European market through transnational research cooperation.

In an exclusive interview with The Icons, a UK-based global entrepreneur media outlet, Pedestal Inc. CEO Kevin Hsu pointed out: “The real problem large language models encounter is actually memory and hardware costs.” He further explained, “When model parameters exceed 50 Billion, or even 100 Billion, the supply and price of DRAM become critical constraints.”

Against this industrial backdrop, Kevin Hsu and his team began to rethink the design direction of AI chips. By integrating the company’s technical capabilities, academic research, and transnational cooperation networks, Pedestal Inc. is attempting to find a new competitive path in the AI era, starting from the perspectives of computational efficiency and architectural innovation.

Kevin Hsu: What Enterprises Need for AI Adoption is Complete Technical Capability

At its inception, like most IC design companies, Pedestal Inc. originally aimed to launch its own chip products. However, during market engagement, Kevin Hsu and his team gradually discovered another need.

Many enterprises wished to integrate AI into their products but lacked chip design capabilities. On the other hand, directly adopting standard chips often made it difficult to meet their specific product requirements.

“Many companies want to adopt AI, but they don’t necessarily need a standard chip,” Kevin Hsu said. “What they need is a complete set of technical capabilities that enable AI implementation. To some extent, we are actually providing the entire design capability to our clients.”

This observation ultimately led to the transformation of Pedestal Inc.’s business model. The company shifted from “making chips” to “providing NPU IP and integration services,” establishing a complete AI development toolchain that forms an integrated workflow from model design and compiler to hardware architecture.This strategy enables Pedestal Inc. to offer highly customized AI chip solutions to enterprises, allowing the company to establish a differentiated position in the fiercely competitive AI chip market.

AI Chip Design is Redefining Efficiency

In the past few years, the narrative of the AI chip industry has almost entirely revolved around the computational power race. However, for many enterprise products, what truly determines competitiveness is not maximum performance, but efficiency:

“Enterprise products ultimately have to return to power consumption and cost. If you can achieve half the power consumption of others under the same computational power, the entire product competitiveness becomes completely different.”

This difference is particularly evident in edge AI applications, such as laptops, tablets, or drones, where energy efficiency is often more critical than raw computational power. The Neural Processing Unit (NPU) designed by Pedestal Inc. has achieved approximately 30% lower power consumption compared to mainstream market solutions in some application scenarios.

Kevin Hsu points out that the next phase of AI competition will likely no longer be a simple GPU computational power race. “GPUs are designed for general-purpose computing, but a lot of AI inference actually involves fixed pattern computations. If you design from the architecture level, you can achieve higher efficiency at the hardware level.”

With this in mind, Pedestal Inc. chose to design its NPU around a DSP-centric architecture, gradually developing an AI computing framework focused on low-power inference.

Connecting European and Asian Semiconductor Ecosystems

With the advancement of AI and semiconductor technologies, international research collaboration is gradually becoming a significant force for industrial innovation. Pedestal Inc.’s participation in the ACDRC Taiwan-Czech bilateral research program involves collaborating with Czech academic institutions, allowing research resources and industrial needs to interface on a common platform.

This cooperation focuses on technological research and development while establishing a framework for transnational talent cultivation and industrial exchange.

Dr. Jiří Háze, director of the ACDRC center and head of the Department of Microelectronics at Brno University of Technology, pointed out that ACDRC is progressively becoming an important platform connecting the European and Asian semiconductor industries.

“ACDRC integrates research, education, and industrial cooperation within a single framework, enabling transnational collaboration to operate long-term. Through such cooperation mechanisms, Czech students can gain a clearer understanding of the complete semiconductor industry chain, while Taiwanese companies can access research-oriented system design capabilities.”

In his view, Taiwan and the Czech Republic possess high complementarity in semiconductor talent cultivation. Taiwan has a complete semiconductor industry chain, allowing students to encounter the practical industrial environment early on. Czech engineering education emphasizes theoretical foundations and system design capabilities.

From Academic Research to Market Application: A New Model for Transnational Cooperation

For enterprises, the value of international research collaboration is often reflected in the connection between research results and industrial application. Through transnational cooperation mechanisms, companies can access the technological needs of different markets earlier, aligning research and development directions more closely with actual industrial scenarios.

Kevin Hsu noted that through collaboration with Czech universities, Pedestal Inc. has been able to access new industrial demands. For instance, in the European market, the importance of automotive electronics and industrial applications far exceeds that in the Asian market:

“The demand for automotive chips in the Czech market is very pronounced. This is an application area we have had less exposure to in the past.”

Dr. Jiří Jakovenko, ACDRC Executive Board Member and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague, pointed out that ACDRC is designed precisely to make research results more accessible to industry.

“The most effective cooperation model is one where education, research, and industrial needs coexist,” said Jiří Jakovenko. “Through co-supervising graduate students, enterprise participation in research projects, and long-term internship systems, research results can enter the market more quickly.”

This collaborative framework is gradually transforming the exchanges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic from one-off research cooperation into a continuously operating transnational technology and talent network.

Redefining Roles in the Global AI Race

As generative artificial intelligence transitions from technological breakthroughs towards industrial application, the competitive logic of the semiconductor industry is also changing. In recent years, market focus has often centered on model scale and computational power metrics. However, as AI technology begins to enter practical product scenarios, the importance of chip architecture and energy efficiency is rapidly increasing.

In Kevin Hsu’s observation, the AI chip industry is likely approaching a new round of elimination. As more and more companies invest in AI accelerator development, the clarity of the technological roadmap will directly determine whether a company can survive the next phase of competition.

“In the end, the companies that remain will be those with very clear technological differentiation.” For Pedestal Inc., this roadmap has always revolved around the same core principle: low-power AI inference. The team designs computation units based on a DSP architecture and continuously optimizes data flow and system integration, aiming to establish a chip platform with superior efficiency advantages in edge computing and embedded devices.

Discussing the future technical direction of their products, Kevin Hsu provided a clear goal: “Our target is to launch the world’s lowest power AI inference chip within three to five years.” In his view, as AI technology gradually enters more terminal devices and application scenarios, the balance between power consumption and performance will become a crucial condition for product competitiveness. For Pedestal Inc., low power is not just a technical metric, but a design philosophy that determines whether a product can truly be adopted by the market.

Amidst these industrial changes, the research collaboration extending from Taiwan to the Czech Republic and Europe also provides new pathways for technological development. Through the transnational research platform established by ACDRC, enterprises, academia, and research institutions can promote technological research and development and application validation under a common framework, enabling research results to enter practical industrial scenarios more quickly:”Future competition in AI will not just be a battle of model parameters, but a contest of overall computational efficiency. Whoever can utilize computational power to its fullest extent under limited energy and hardware conditions will have a better chance of securing their position in this wave of the AI industry revolution.”

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Then chips stopped being just another component. They became strategic assets. Governments started talking about supply chain resilience and technological sovereignty like their national security depended on it, because in many ways, it does. Suddenly, the rules of the game shifted. Talent, technology, and industrial ecosystems became the new battlegrounds, and international cooperation had to be rethought from the ground up.

In the middle of this realignment, something interesting has been taking shape. With support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a cross-border initiative called the Advanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC) has been quietly building bridges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. It is not just another academic exchange program. It is a structured platform designed to connect two very different but surprisingly complementary semiconductor ecosystems.

On the Taiwan side, the center is driven by the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR). The Czech counterpart brings together three institutions: Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, and Czech Technical University in Prague, operating under the umbrella of the CyberSecurity Hub CZ. The key figures include Jirí Háze, who serves as Director of the ACDRC Center and heads the Microelectronics Department at Brno University of Technology, and Jirí Jakovenko, a professor and vice dean at Czech Technical University in Prague.

When we spoke with them, both emphasized that this is not just about signing agreements and holding conferences. The center was built to do real work, training people, conducting research, and bringing industry into the conversation from day one. At a moment when everyone is worried about supply chains and who controls critical technology, this Taiwan-Czech partnership offers a different way of thinking about what international collaboration can look like.

Two Ways of Teaching, One Goal

If you put Taiwanese and Czech engineering education side by side, you would struggle to find two approaches that look more different. And that, it turns out, is exactly the point.

Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is a tightly integrated machine. Design, manufacturing, packaging, testing, it is all there, often within driving distance. Universities have built themselves around this reality. Students spend their undergraduate years in cleanrooms. They work on company projects. They learn the tools and processes they will use in their careers before they even graduate. When they enter the job market, they hit the ground running.

Jakovenko has watched this up close. The connection between Taiwanese universities and industry is extraordinarily tight, he told me. Students are working on real manufacturing processes and corporate projects while they are still in school. By the time they finish, they already know how to do the job.

The Czech approach could hardly be more different. It reflects a European tradition that prioritizes theoretical depth over practical training. Students spend years building a foundation in microelectronics, circuit design, materials physics. They learn to think systematically about problems. They understand why a chip works the way it does, not just how to make one.

At the same time, the universities maintain long-term cooperation with industrial partners, who provide guidance on the skills students need. Some industry experts also teach courses, and more than half of the instruction is devoted to practical lab or computer exercises. The universities take pride in their facilities, including clean rooms where students gain hands-on experience, which is uncommon in Europe.

Jakovenko sees the tradeoffs clearly. The strength of Czech education is that students develop a deep understanding of entire systems. They do not just learn a process, they understand the principles behind it. But when they started working with Taiwan, they saw something else. Students who get exposed to real industrial problems during their studies learn in ways that classrooms cannot replicate. The combination, he believes, is powerful.

Háze thinks about it in structural terms. The Taiwanese partners genuinely appreciate the theoretical depth Czech students bring to problems, he said. They think differently, more systematically. Meanwhile, the Czech side looks at Taiwan and sees how close integration between universities and industry can compress the time it takes to turn a graduate into an engineer. The center was designed to let these two models work alongside each other, each absorbing what the other does best.

The Challenge of Cooperation

Anyone who has worked in international collaboration knows how hard it is to move from a signed memorandum to actual results. The center tries to solve this problem through structure. Two working groups, one focused on talent cultivation and another on research collaboration, break the work down into pieces that can actually be managed and measured.

Háze walked me through how it works. The talent group brings Czech faculty together with Taiwanese universities and companies for curriculum discussions, joint student supervision, research coordination, and industry projects. It flows both ways. When the Czech side designs a new microelectronics course, they might consult with Taiwanese industry about what skills weigh more on the ground. When Taiwanese partners shape a research agenda, they might draw on Czech expertise in system-level design.

The research group operates with a similar philosophy but a different focus. Projects are designed from the start with applications in mind. This is not blue sky academic work. Háze emphasized that the structure deliberately aligns research with industrial needs. Projects that involve direct collaboration with Taiwanese companies are particularly promising because they force everyone to think about technical requirements and market conditions from the beginning, not as an afterthought.

This approach is changing how students experience international exposure. In the past, studying abroad often meant language practice and cultural immersion, valuable but limited. Under this framework, students land in real research environments. They work on actual problems.

Jakovenko has seen the impact in their feedback. The biggest takeaway, students tell him, is understanding the whole development chain. Design, simulation, testing, deployment, they see how it all connects. Working in Taiwan pushes them technically, but it also builds confidence in navigating international teams and thinking globally about their work.

The Moment It Became Real

Every collaboration has a turning point, the moment when participants stop treating it as a temporary project and start seeing it as something worth building for the long term. For this center, that moment came around the second year.

The first students returned from Taiwan with stories about what they had learned. Jointly supervised papers started appearing in journals. Industry partners, having seen what the collaboration could do, began proposing their own research questions. The pieces started fitting together.

Háze described watching this shift happen. Activities that began as exchanges started becoming routine. Training programs under the talent group became regular events. Research collaborations under the other group kept expanding. When partners started applying for additional funding to extend projects within the existing framework, it signaled something important. They were no longer treating this as an experiment. They were investing in a relationship they expected to last.

That kind of institutional commitment matters for reasons beyond just continuity. It builds trust, and in semiconductors, trust is everything. Háze pointed out that cross-border technical collaboration inevitably runs into sensitive territory. Intellectual property, concerns about technology transfer, commercial secrets, these issues do not go away just because everyone has good intentions. The only way through them is relationships built over time. When people trust each other, they can have honest conversations about risks and boundaries. Without that trust, collaboration never moves past the superficial stage.

Jakovenko sees this playing out in the details of joint research. When you co-supervise PhD students from two different countries, you have to agree on basic questions. What is the goal of the research? Who owns the results? How and when can findings be published? Those conversations require a foundation of mutual confidence. Once that foundation is there, the conversation shifts. People stop worrying about protecting themselves and start asking how they can make the work more valuable together.

Bridging the Valley of Death

There is a well known problem in technology development. Great ideas come out of university labs all the time. Many of them never go anywhere. The gap between a promising concept and a viable product is wide, and most innovations die somewhere in between. Researchers call it the valley of death.

The center was designed with this problem in mind. Háze explained the logic. In Europe, moving from academic research to market deployment requires coordination among universities, industry partners, and applied research organizations. The center tries to accelerate that process by getting everyone involved early. When industry comes to the table at the project planning stage, research teams think differently. They worry about whether something can be manufactured at scale. They consider cost. They pay attention to how mature a technology really is. Those questions do not naturally occur to academics focused on publishing papers, but they are exactly the questions that determine whether a discovery ever becomes a product.

This applied focus is shifting how young researchers in the Czech Republic think about their work. For a long time, academic success was measured in publications and citations. Those things still matter, but Jakovenko has noticed something changing. More young scholars are starting to care about whether their research actually does something in the world.

He also sees it in the job market. PhD students and postdocs who have been through this program are unusually competitive when they start looking for positions. They have the academic credentials, but they also know how to work across cultures, how to understand what industry needs, and how to translate their technical knowledge into practical solutions. That combination is rare, and European high tech companies are beginning to notice.

There is a concrete example playing out right now. Jmem Tek, a Taiwanese semiconductor startup that got involved in the center’s research activities, decided late last year to open a subsidiary in Prague. They will hold an official opening in April, bringing together representatives from government, industry, and academia from both countries. The company started with academic connections. Those connections led to research collaboration. That collaboration led to enough trust that they decided to put down roots on the other side of the world. It is exactly the kind of trajectory the center was designed to enable.

Where This Could Go In The Future

We asked both professors what they hope this looks like in ten years. Their answers, independently given, pointed in the same direction.

Háze imagines the center evolving into something broader. A recognized hub for joint doctoral training. An incubator for research that actually matters to industry. A mechanism that connects academic and industrial partners across borders. Eventually, he hopes, it can open up to more partners across Europe and Asia, letting the network grow organically from the foundation they have built.

Jakovenko thinks about it from a European perspective. The continent is rethinking its entire approach to semiconductors. The European Chips Act and various national initiatives are all trying to build more resilient ecosystems. In that context, the center offers something useful. It is not trying to create new institutions from scratch. It takes existing strengths and builds a framework around them. That lightweight but structured approach, he believes, might be exactly what international collaboration in high tech fields needs to look like going forward.

He also offered a final thought that stuck with me. At a moment when semiconductors are at the center of geopolitical competition, when countries are scrambling to build walls and hoard talent, this partnership suggests a different path. Instead of trying to go it alone, it brings complementary strengths together. Instead of treating knowledge as something to protect, it treats it as something that grows when it flows.

Háze put it simply. Real technological sovereignty, he said, does not mean closing yourself off. It means having the ability to collaborate globally and benefit from it. In an era defined by competition over chips and the people who design them, that is a lesson worth remembering.

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In such a fiercely competitive industry, few entrepreneurs have managed to shape its direction over the long term. Michael Morhaime, co-founder and former Chief Executive of Blizzard Entertainment, stands as one of the most influential figures in that transformation. From the rise of PC gaming in the 1990s to the emergence of massively multiplayer online worlds, and now to a renewed focus on creative culture, his career has closely mirrored the evolution of the modern games industry.

Morhaime has repeatedly pointed to the design philosophy that defined Blizzard and left a lasting impression on the industry: “Gameplay always comes first.” Originating from Blizzard’s long-standing internal principle, Gameplay first, this idea captures his core belief about game development: before any market strategy or technological innovation, the player experience must remain at the centre of everything.

A Generation of PC Gaming Shaped Not by Markets, but by Engineers with a Vision

In 1991, Michael Morhaime, together with his UCLA classmates Allen Adham and Frank Pearce, founded a small game development company in California named Silicon & Synapse. The company would later become known as Blizzard Entertainment. In its earliest days, the team was modest in size, primarily undertaking porting work and outsourced development. Yet during this period, the founders began to define a clear ambition: to build worlds of their own.

The release of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994 marked the company’s first breakthrough, while Warcraft II in 1995 significantly expanded Blizzard’s presence in the emerging PC gaming market. At the time, the industry itself was still in a phase of rapid evolution, but Blizzard’s titles quickly gained traction among players. Reflecting on the company’s design philosophy, Morhaime once remarked, “We want to make the best games possible.”

This commitment to quality allowed Blizzard to cultivate an unusually loyal player base throughout the 1990s. With the success of StarCraft (1998) and the Diablo series, the company’s global influence grew rapidly. In particular, the popularity of StarCraft in South Korea helped lay the foundations for modern esports, marking a moment when gaming began to establish itself as a global cultural force.

When Games Became Worlds, Companies Began to Run Entire Economies

The release of World of Warcraft in 2004 would prove to be one of Blizzard’s most consequential contributions to the industry. As a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), it introduced a fundamentally different model: the persistent, continuously evolving virtual world.

At its peak, World of Warcraft attracted more than ten million subscribers worldwide. Unlike traditional single-player titles, the value of an MMO lies not in one-off sales, but in sustained engagement. Players inhabit the same world, interacting, collaborating and competing over extended periods, turning the game into a living, evolving social platform.

Discussing the success of MMO design, Morhaime has emphasised a principle that became central to Blizzard’s approach: “The most important thing is to listen to the players.” In a live service environment, player feedback directly shapes the direction of development. This ongoing dialogue between developers and community helped Blizzard establish enduring relationships with its audience.

Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon convention stands as a reflection of this culture. Since its inception in 2005, it has grown into one of the world’s most prominent gatherings of gaming communities. In his opening addresses, Morhaime would often remind attendees, “You are the heart of Blizzard,” underscoring the central role of players in shaping the company’s worlds.

As Gaming Entered the Capital Markets, Creative Culture Came Under New Strain

As Blizzard’s influence continued to expand, the company was gradually drawn into a broader corporate structure. In 2008, Activision merged with Vivendi Games to form Activision Blizzard, marking a defining moment for the industry’s integration into global capital markets. It was a transition that not only reflected the sector’s growing economic significance, but also introduced a new level of complexity in corporate governance and competitive pressure.

For a creative industry, such structural shifts inevitably bring tension. Game development requires time, iteration and a tolerance for uncertainty, while capital markets tend to favour speed, predictability and returns. The resulting friction between creative culture and financial discipline has since become a defining theme in discussions around the modern games industry.

In 2018, Michael Morhaime announced that he would step down as Chief Executive of Blizzard, bringing to a close a 27-year tenure. For many within the industry and its global community of players, his departure marked not simply a leadership change, but the end of a formative era in Blizzard’s history.

Beyond Blizzard, Morhaime Set Out to Build Not Just a Company, but a Creative Environment

In 2020, Morhaime, alongside several former Blizzard colleagues, founded a new company: Dreamhaven. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the company operates two internal studios, Moonshot Games and Secret Door.

Dreamhaven represents a deliberate departure from the conventional structure of large-scale game publishers. Rather than prioritising rapid output or market cycles, it seeks to cultivate an environment in which developers can sustain creative work over the long term. As Morhaime has put it, “We want to create an environment where developers can do their best work.”

At its core, this philosophy reflects a belief that game development is fundamentally collaborative, and that organisational culture plays a more decisive role than technology alone. In many respects, Dreamhaven can be seen as an extension of Blizzard’s early ethos, one in which creative work is not subordinate to commercial pressure, but placed at the centre of the enterprise.

The Next Phase of Competition Will Be Defined by Who Can Truly Build Worlds for Players

Today, the games industry stands at another inflection point. Advances in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and real-time social platforms are reshaping how players engage with digital worlds. Games are increasingly evolving from discrete entertainment products into persistent environments, while players themselves are no longer merely consumers, but active participants within living communities.

Viewed in this context, Michael Morhaime’s career traces a clear arc across the industry’s evolution from the rise of PC gaming, to the emergence of massively multiplayer worlds, and now towards a renewed emphasis on creative ecosystems. Across these phases, his central question has remained consistent: how to build structures in which creativity can endure over time.

In an industry often driven by short-term cycles and rapid technological shifts, Morhaime’s approach has remained distinctly long-term. As he has often reminded players at BlizzCon, “You are the heart of Blizzard.” It is a statement that captures his broader philosophy: that the true foundation of any game world lies not in technology or capital, but in the enduring relationship between creators and the communities they serve.

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This transformation implies that the core of technological development is no longer just about breakthroughs and speed, but also about the stability of the overall structure, the maturity of institutions, and the ability to continuously accumulate and validate capabilities over time. In such an international environment, the role of research institutions is also gradually shifting from technology executors to capability integrators and participants in the international order.

In 2025, the transition from the National Applied Research Laboratories to the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR) represents more than a name change. It signals a strategic repositioning of Taiwan’s national research system in response to the evolving global technology landscape. As the largest research organization under the National Science and Technology Council, NIAR not only undertakes the four main tasks of “establishing R&D platforms, supporting academic research, promoting frontier science and technology, and fostering high-tech talent” but also bears the responsibility of transforming diverse technological energy into a long-term operational framework.

From life sciences to semiconductor research, from computing infrastructure to intelligent robotics integration, the challenge NIAR faces transcends deepening expertise in a single domain. The real question is how to establish stable connections between multi-layered capabilities, allowing research activities with different tempos to advance coherently within a single governance framework. This integrative capability has become a key indicator of the maturity of a research system.

Throughout this transformation process, the core issue for Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of NIAR, is not merely the short-term expansion of output, but more importantly, endowing the research system with long-term carrying capacity. He believes that the real key to competition is not just speed, but the completeness and stability of the structure.

“When research capabilities are embedded within a clear governance structure, technological breakthroughs can maintain their direction despite personnel changes or external fluctuations. When institutional operations are transparent and continuous, international cooperation can be built on a foundation of trust. For me, research is a public capability that requires time to mature. It is precisely with this mindset that NIAR’s transformation and future arrangements begin to demonstrate strategic significance that transcends individual projects.”

ACDRC: From Project-Based Cooperation to Long-Term Collaboration

Discussing the establishment of the Advanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC), Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai noted that Taiwan does not lack chip design capabilities. The problem lies in the existing models of international cooperation, which can no longer support deeper-level connections. In the past, international research collaboration was usually organized around individual projects. Teams from both sides cooperated on specific topics, achieved phased results, published papers or technical reports, and then returned to their original rhythms upon project completion. While effective for knowledge exchange, this model struggles to accumulate the mechanisms needed for cross-border industrial chain deployment and talent circulation.

“Once a collaboration lacks subsequent connection, even brilliant results fail to create a long-term impact. The emergence of ACDRC is precisely a response to this structural rupture where projects end upon completion.”

Commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by NIAR, ACDRC aims to establish a sustainable  platform for international cooperation rather than simply showcasing individual research outcomes. It integrates three facets—chip design R&D, talent cultivation, and industrial implementation—within a single  framework, allowing collaboration to extend beyond the laboratory level and develop into longer-term partnerships.

Within the project, Taiwanese research teams establish substantive cooperation nodes in the Czech Republic, while Czech high-level technical talents participate in long-term internships and training in Taiwan. Industry units from both sides connect simultaneously. Through this two-way flow design, research outcomes are not only generated at the academic level but can also be transformed into business applications and market opportunities. Therefore, the real value of ACDRC lies in its emphasis on continuity, not in the highlight figures of any single stage.

Dr. Tsai also pointed out a more critical aspect: ACDRC is testing a new model for international cooperation. When Taiwanese IC design startups can enter the European automotive and information security supply chains through this platform and form long-term R&D relationships with local academic and research institutions, the cooperation gradually reduces its dependence on government project cycles and shifts towards a cycle driven by market forces and technological deepening.

“This cycle builds trust between both parties through co-investment and shared responsibility, and also makes talent development a core asset of the cooperation, rather than an ancillary outcome. ACDRC thus becomes an institutionalized attempt, integrating research, industry, and cross-border deployment within a single framework.”

NIAR’s Eight Research Centers: Constructing Cross-Domain Research Synergy

Looking at NIAR’s overall R&D deployment, its eight national-level research centers span a wide range of technological fields.Their true value lies not only in the specialization itself but also in the way their capabilities are interconnected.

In environmental science, the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) enhances building safety and disaster resilience through structural validation and data analysis. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute (TORI) supports a decision-making basis for geological surveys and marine resource analysis.

The capability linkages in the digital and industrial spheres are even more critical. In the ICT field, the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) advances  semiconductor process and design technologies, enhancing application reliability through experimental verification. The National Center for Instrumentation Research (NCIR) ensures precision measurement and equipment self-sufficiency, enabling advanced research to be verifiable and replicable. The National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) provides large-scale data processing and high-performance computing infrastructure, enabling semiconductor design simulation and large-scale model training. When computing power, design, and validation capabilities work synergistically within the same framework, technological advancement forms a complete process, rather than isolated breakthroughs.

In the biomedical field, the model systems and experimental conditions established by the National Center for Biomodels (NCB) provide a stable foundation for new drug development and precision medicine. These seemingly independent tasks collectively form a national-level network for environmental and infrastructure security capabilities, ensuring that research outcomes do not remain purely theoretical but can directly support public governance.

In the field of science and technology policy, the Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) provides technology trend analysis and policy evaluation, ensuring that technological development and the institutional environment connect and co-evolve. Additionally, the National Center for AI Robotics (NCAIR), scheduled to be established in April this year, will integrate key technologies such as AI, sensors, and control systems, promoting the deployment of cross-domain technologies into actual field testing and application optimization.

Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai points out that these capabilities together form a continuous chain from research and validation to design and real-world implementation. “The real key, besides the technical prowess of any single unit, lies in the stability of the collaborative rhythm between units. When capabilities complement rather than compete with each other, the research system gradually evolves from a collection of specializations into a platform capable of continuously delivering holistic solutions.” Under this framework, NIAR not only presents the unique value of each center but also integrates academic research resources with an overall strategic vision, playing a leading role for the “Taiwan Academic and Research Team,” and joining hands with domestic and international partners to create a new era of borderless science and technology.

Defining the Direction of Research in Times of Change

For any research system, the biggest challenges often arise when choosing a direction. When resources are limited, topics are diverse, and the pace of technological evolution is uneven, decision-makers must make judgments among different possibilities. Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai believes that one of the core tasks of research leadership is to set a clear time horizon for the organization.

“Some research projects can yield applied results within three years, while certain infrastructure developments require over a decade of investment before their value becomes apparent. Without a clear hierarchical plan based on timeframes, resources will be pulled by short-term pressures, making long-term deployments difficult to sustain. The rhythm of decision-making thus becomes a critical factor in the stability of research development.”

In practice, this approach is reflected in resource allocation and prioritization. For high-risk but potentially transformative advanced technologies, NIAR adopts a phased investment strategy, gradually scaling up after early-stage validation to avoid bearing excessive costs at once. For areas with a mature foundation, it strengthens system integration and cross-domain linkages, enabling existing achievements to be transformed into practical applications. “This dynamic adjustment method allows research directions to be corrected according to environmental changes without deviating from the overall development track. The decision-making process is a continuous calibration based on established principles.”

Furthermore, research decisions also involve balancing risk-taking and public accountability. When research involves the use of public resources and the deployment of international cooperation, transparent procedures and clear standards are particularly important. Through institutionalized evaluation and multi-party discussion mechanisms, major projects undergo multiple levels of scrutiny before initiation, making the decision-making process traceable. This governance approach does not pursue speed but emphasizes rationality and sustainability.

Dr. Tsai also stated that one of the core tasks of research leadership is to set a clear time horizon for the organization: “For me, the value of leadership lies in ensuring that every choice withstands the test of time, rather than frequently announcing new projects. Once a research direction is established, it should be advanced steadily, not constantly shifted due to external opinions or short-term trends.”

Hung-Yin Tsai: International Technology Cooperation Includes Computing Infrastructure and Cross-Domain Integration

Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai pointed out that NIAR will place greater emphasis  on AI computing infrastructure and cross-domain technology integration in its international collaborations. With the Cloud Computing Center at the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) now in operation, Taiwan possesses the capability to support large-scale AI model training and high-intensity simulations. The strategic significance of this infrastructure lies in providing a practical, shared platform for international teams, enabling collaboration to transcend one-off research projects.

“When international partners can conduct model training, data analysis, and test validation within the same computing environment, the efficiency and depth of cooperation naturally increase. Computing power thus becomes a substantive foundation for cooperation, not an additional condition.”

Additionally, in advanced fields such as next-generation semiconductors and silicon photonics, NIAR also plans to deepen cross-regional research alliances. These technologies involve material innovation, process optimization, and system integration, requiring the combination of multiple areas of expertise to advance. Dr. Tsai particularly emphasized that through long-term connections with European research institutions, both sides can form a division of labor and collaboration model at the design validation and application development levels, allowing research achievements to enter industrial testing phases more quickly. This type of collaboration emphasizes complementarity rather than competition, with the goal of jointly enhancing technological maturity, rather than vying for unilateral dominance.

At the end of the interview, Dr. Tsai also mentioned that the establishment of the National Center for AI Robotics (NCAIR) marks a new phase in applied integration. By bringing together AI algorithms, sensing technologies, and control systems, research achievements can be repeatedly tested and optimized in real-world environments.

“In the next two years, NIAR will promote more field-oriented cooperation projects, directly connecting technologies with application scenarios like transportation, manufacturing, and energy. This cooperation model—supported by computing power, driven by cross-domain technology integration, and validated by real-world testing fields—will become an important feature of Taiwan’s participation in international technology cooperation. I hope that through these concrete deployments, NIAR can establish a stable presence in the global research network,  ensuring that Taiwan’s technological capabilities are not only visible globally, but also actively embedded in international innovation networks.”

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That phase is fading. A more difficult question has emerged. When the same AI tools are available to everyone, what actually separates the companies that succeed from those that do not?

This question framed the first session of The Icons Talk, a webinar hosted by the global leadership platform The Icons. The event was organized together with The 90 and brought together founders from very different industries.

One participant was Jan Hauser, CEO and co-founder of Applifting, a Prague-founded company that builds digital products for fintech firms and large enterprises.

The other was Kai-Tse Lin, co-founder and chief operating officer of Bellwether Industries, which is developing electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed for urban transportation.

The conversation was moderated by Ricky Wang, Director of Business Development at The Icons.

Despite operating in different sectors, both founders addressed the same underlying challenge. Once the novelty of AI fades, advantage comes from how companies adapt rather than from the technology itself.

Jan Hauser: AI Still Requires Human Responsibility

For software companies the rise of AI appeared early.

Jan recalled a meeting a few years ago when someone asked employees how many were already using AI tools in their daily work. The number of raised hands surprised the leadership team.

That moment showed that AI was no longer confined to a small group of engineers. It had already become part of everyday work across the company.

Applifting responded by developing internal principles for using AI in engineering. One metric the company tracks is called MEETER, which measures how long an AI system can perform a task before human intervention becomes necessary.

About eighteen months ago the answer was roughly ten minutes. By early 2026 it had grown to about ninety minutes, with success rates approaching eighty percent.

Even so, Jan argues that companies should not rush to deploy every new AI tool.

“A new tool appearing does not mean it is ready for production,” he said. “Companies need an environment where they can experiment quickly. But experimentation is not the same as deployment.”

Applifting introduced an internal AI maturity framework to guide engineers as they incorporate AI into their workflow. Yet one principle remains unchanged.

Engineers must understand the code produced by AI.

“If you do not understand the code, it should not enter the product,” Jan said. “Responsibility still belongs to the engineer.”

He also questioned the growing volume of AI-generated content online.

Large amounts of automated emails, articles and social media posts now circulate across the internet. Much of it, he suggested, adds little meaningful value.

“It is content that is not written by humans and often not truly read by humans either,” he said.

For founders the real challenge is therefore not simply adopting AI but building internal expertise.

“This field contains many people who claim to be experts,” Jan said. “Eventually companies need people inside their teams who are willing to study the technology deeply.”

Kai-Tse Lin: AI Expands Engineering Possibilities Without Replacing Judgment

Kai-Tse Lin’s company, Bellwether Industries, is developing urban air vehicles, commonly called air taxis. This is an industry where research and development cycles are measured in decades.

Every part must pass strict safety checks. Every design decision is tied to aviation rules and passenger safety. In this world, technological progress is never just about efficiency. It is about balancing risk, responsibility and long term reliability.

When Kai-Tse talks about AI, his tone is measured. “There are two levels to look at AI’s impact,” he said. “One is making daily operations more efficient. The other is changing how we develop products. For us, the second level matters more.”

In aerospace engineering, design and testing have always taken the most time. Traditional simulation systems are expensive and slow. A full simulation could take days and require dedicated teams. Now, AI can complete similar simulations in hours, with accuracy approaching 90 percent. For engineers, this changes the pace of development.

But Kai-Tse also warns that engineering does not stop inside a computer. “A design that works on a screen often runs into new problems in the real world,” he said. When a vehicle is actually built, material strength, airflow changes, vibration and temperature all affect how it performs. Designs that look perfect in a simulation often need repeated changes during physical testing.

“So in aerospace engineering, AI is more of a supporting tool than a decision making center. It can help engineers understand problems faster. But the final call still has to be made by humans.”

A point Kai-Tse made about self-driving cars helps explain this. Early autonomous systems worked best on highways, where the environment is simple. They struggled on city streets, where unexpected things happen all the time. But with newer AI models, the picture is shifting. In busy, fast changing urban environments, AI can often make decisions faster.

“The same technology can perform completely differently in different environments. There is a lot we are still slowly understanding.” This shows a basic truth: AI is not a tool for everything. Its abilities and limits have to be understood through long, real world testing.

For aviation, this kind of testing has to be especially careful. Kai-Tse takes care to explain a concept that often gets confused. Many people mix up automation with fully autonomous systems. But in aviation, they are two very different paths.

“Automation means the pilot is still on board. Some tasks are just handed to the system. True autonomous flight means there is no pilot,” he said. “In the aviation industry, we almost never talk about the second one. The liability issues are too complicated.”

So while software companies try new models fast, aerospace engineers have to think about another question at the same time: if the system makes the wrong decision, how does a human take over?”About 70 percent of aviation accidents are actually related to human error. So AI does have the chance to improve safety. But the prerequisite is that the technology is mature enough, regulators know how to oversee it, and the industry as a whole can figure out liability.”

In Kai-Tse’s view, this is not being conservative against new ideas. It is holding new ideas to a higher standard. The technologies that really change industries are never just faster. They find a new balance between speed, safety and responsibility.

Automation, Autonomy and Responsibility

Toward the end of the discussion moderator Ricky Wang raised a broader question.

If air taxis eventually become part of urban transportation, how will increasingly automated vehicles share the sky?

Kai-Tse suggested that human oversight will remain necessary for many years. Even highly automated systems may still rely on remote operators who supervise operations and intervene when necessary.

He pointed to an incident involving autonomous taxis operated by Waymo in San Francisco, when several vehicles stopped simultaneously during a system disruption. The episode illustrated how advanced systems can still encounter unexpected conditions in the real world.

“Fully unmanned transportation will arrive eventually,” Kai-Tse said. “But it will take time.”

Jan responded with a remark that captured the broader theme.

“In the past when you entered a taxi you expected to see a driver,” he said. “In the future you might see an engineer with a laptop.”

Technology may become increasingly sophisticated, but responsibility does not disappear.

In the end the discussion suggested that the real measure of technological maturity may not be technical capability alone.

Often the true test is whether society is ready to trust it.

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For decades, national governments and large-scale infrastructure have been the main protagonists of the global energy system. Yet as extreme heat, cold snaps, torrential rain, and hurricanes occur with record frequency, the structural weaknesses of traditional centralized grids are increasingly exposed. Energy ministries around the world are now grappling with the same fundamental question: should energy security shift from centralized to distributed? Should households become more autonomous, resilient, and participatory nodes within the energy network? This is not merely a technological question, but a profound structural transformation in global governance. Within this context, EcoFlow’s showcase of portable and home-storage solutions, especially the comprehensive smart home energy solution, stood out at COP30 as one of the most practical and forward-looking responses.

As Dr Bruce Wang Lei, Founder and CEO of EcoFlow, explained in an interview with The Icons, standing on the United Nations stage filled him with both pride and humility. “This is not merely about EcoFlow’s growth,” he reflected, “but about witnessing clean, intelligent energy become a shared global agenda. It reaffirms my belief that the truest form of innovation lies in turning technology into products that serve both humanity and the planet’s sustainable future. Humanity is in the midst of a great paradigm shift towards new energy; technological innovation and climate action must advance together. Our goal is to help every household experience this revolution and truly feel how the new energy paradigm can elevate their everyday lives, which lies at the heart of smart home energy. This sense of responsibility only deepens my resolve to continue empowering households around the world to embrace meaningful energy transformation.”

From the Laboratories: The Birth of a World-Class Energy Methodology

While many describe EcoFlow through the lens of a start-up or unicorn firm, few recognize the company’s original starting point — bringing clean energy to the world.

EcoFlow’s Founder, Dr. Wang Lei began as academic research to improve energy efficiency, now has evolved into a mission to help tens of millions of households around the world achieve energy independence.

Energy, as Wang often reflects, has become the foundation of civilization not because it is advanced, but because it is universal, stable, and equitable in its use. Guided by his belief that “any good technology can — and should — serve everyone,” Wang stepped beyond the walls of the engineer’s world to pursue innovation that transforms real lives.

Through the Difficulties: The Trials, Conviction, and Evolution of an Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is indeed a long and painful test of conviction. What kept me going was my unwavering belief that clean energy could change lives,” said Dr Bruce Wang. He recalled that what sustained EcoFlow through its darkest days was not the imagined combination of capital, subsidies, or luck, but rather the faith of the company’s first few thousand seed users across the world. They were few in number — far from enough to sustain the business — yet they were willing to pay for the value EcoFlow created and believe in a vision that had not yet taken shape.

“These thousands of users, who both need and readily embrace energy independence, have nurtured us,” Dr Wang reflected. “Their trust gave us tremendous courage. For a stable and reliable energy supply is the bedrock of human civilization’s continuity — a value beyond comparison. This conviction has been the central pillar that sustained me through my darkest hours.”

As challenges mounted, Wang began shaping a highly adaptive, self-evolving model of leadership — moving from personally solving problems, to empowering his team to solve them, and ultimately to building systems that would allow the organization to sustain itself. He often remarks, “We don’t pursue perfection; we pursue evolution.” That principle became deeply embedded in EcoFlow’s DNA, keeping the company moving forward amid the fierce competition of the clean energy sector.

The Soul of Technology: From the Fast-Charging Revolution to the Leap into Smart Home Energy

In the early days of the consumer energy industry, few realised that charging speed would become the defining variable capable of reshaping the entire landscape. Yet in 2019, EcoFlow’s launch of the DELTA series changed that perception entirely — cutting charging times from over ten hours to just 1.6. It was not simply a matter of being faster; it was a structural breakthrough that expanded what the industry considered possible. Behind this achievement lay three years of research, countless iterations of materials, design optimisation, and extreme stress testing.

Many regarded it as a feat of engineering, but to Dr Bruce Wang, it was something more — a proof of spirit. “If we haven’t failed enough, it means we haven’t truly innovated,” he often says. This philosophy of relentless experimentation became the cornerstone of EcoFlow’s identity.

After the fast-charging revolution, EcoFlow has not paused at the height of its success as the No. 1 in portable power stations. Instead, the company began charting a broader blueprint — one for a smart home energy ecosystem that integrates generation, storage, distribution, and intelligent consumption. Since launching whole-home smart energy solutions in Europe in 2023 and expanding into North America and Australia this year, EcoFlow has rapidly risen to the forefront of the home energy market globally.

With a deeper understanding of shifting user needs, EcoFlow realized that true empowerment must go beyond portability. It requires a seamlessly integrated smart energy solution designed around the home — one that delivers stable, efficient, and intuitive energy independence for everyday living.

That same philosophy was at the heart of COP30’s agenda: the democratisation of clean energy, turning sustainability from privilege into daily reality. As a line from The Lion King reminds us, “Everything the light touches is our kingdom.”

The Virtual Power Plant: A Real Path to the People’s Grid

EcoFlow’s concept of ‘Power a New World’ has garnered significant attention. As more families adopt solar panels, energy storage, battery management, and smart control technologies, the world is accelerating towards a decentralised and efficient energy era. This transition not only reduces household costs and carbon emissions but also strengthens nations’ progress towards their net-zero ambitions. The foundation and a feasible answer of all this is a stable, intelligently operated home energy system — one that ensures distributed energy is reliable, controllable, and capable of being aggregated.

At COP30, EcoFlow emphasised that “the energy independence of every household will ultimately converge into a nation’s energy resilience.” Within the global framework of energy governance, the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) has become one of the most compelling ideas of the past decade — and EcoFlow has brought this concept back to its most meaningful level: the home. When tens of thousands of intelligent household energy systems are connected, they form a dynamic and resilient network where every family is both a consumer and a contributor of power. For EcoFlow, this represents the natural extension of its mission: to turn individual energy independence into collective energy resilience.

For Dr Wang, the virtual power plant is not merely a technological or commercial innovation but a profound expression of energy’s public value. “Any good technology should be owned by every ordinary person,” he believes — a principle that runs through every layer of EcoFlow’s product design, technological strategy and system architecture. From electricity to the steam engine to the internet, every major technological transformation in human history has evolved from exclusivity to universality. The virtual power plant stands at that same inflection point — the moment when clean energy becomes a shared right, rather than a privilege.

Building a Reliable, Accessible and Affordable Smart Home Energy Ecosystem

EcoFlow’s sensitivity to energy challenges stems from its deep insight into the realities faced by households worldwide. They clearly recognize the vulnerabilities of traditional centralized grids—especially during extreme weather events and peak demand periods—and see how smart home energy systems can empower households to become active participants in energy management.

Through smart appliance connectivity, storage optimization, and renewable energy integration, EcoFlow is dedicated to building a user-friendly, plug-and-play smart home energy ecosystem that enables everyday families to manage their energy with ease, without requiring any technical expertise—ultimately allowing them to become true producers and dispatchers of energy.

This is far more than a collection of hardware. It is the integration of solar power, storage batteries, inverters, and home appliances into a sensing, analytical, and optimizable whole—powered by intelligent algorithms and a robust energy management platform. The system can automatically choose the optimal energy distribution strategy based on weather conditions, electricity prices, and household usage patterns, improving both energy efficiency and economic performance.

Humanitarian Technology: When the Warmth of Energy Illuminates the World’s Darkness

For Dr Bruce Wang, technology is not meant for display — it is meant to bear responsibility. He often emphasises that “energy innovation must serve humanity itself.” From powerless villages in Indonesia to emergency relief zones after earthquakes in Japan, and from hurricanes to wildfires in the United States, EcoFlow’s systems have repeatedly provided the most stable power source in disaster-stricken regions. In moments when public grids collapse, communication networks fail, and hospital equipment stops running, household-level energy storage becomes the most reliable form of life support. In these situations, a smart energy system does more than providing electricity. It intelligently prioritizes key devices like medical equipment, communication tools, and refrigerators to ensure they receive power for as long as possible, even with limited storage.

One of the most memorable moments for Dr Wang took place earlier this year in Houston, where a hurricane had devastated the local grid, leaving more than 800,000 residents without electricity for over a week. When the EcoFlow team arrived, they witnessed an unforgettable sight: an entire neighbourhood swallowed by darkness — except for one home, glowing with a soft, warm light. The person told the team, “The whole community is dark, but thanks to EcoFlow, my home is the only light in the night.”

That image, Dr Wang recalls, became a defining reminder that energy is not only power — it is dignity, safety, and hope. These moments have since shaped EcoFlow’s ongoing commitment to systematic innovation. Energy is a real, human need — one bound to the safety of families and the stability of daily life. The meaning of technology, he believes, is born precisely from these moments of truth, when innovation becomes warmth that lights up the darkness of the world.

The Next Decade: From COP30 to COP31 — A Global Vision for the World

During COP30, EcoFlow presented a proposal of global significance for the governance of future energy systems — households will become the driving force of the next energy revolution. The coming five years will witness the rapid proliferation of intelligent, interconnected home energy systems. EcoFlow’s vision is to enable every household to become a highly efficient energy hub, capable of generating, storing, and managing energy independently. Yet, as Dr Wang emphasised, “household energy independence is only the first step.”

Looking ahead to COP31, Dr Wang envisions a future where more households are linked into resilient shared networks — a true energy ecosystem in which communities can support one another during power outages, natural disasters, or periods of high demand. This marks not just a technological evolution, but a societal transition — from individual self-sufficiency to collective resilience and abundance.

In his closing words during the interview with The Icons, Dr Wang stated powerfully, “The future of energy does not lie in exhibition halls or at negotiation tables, but in millions of ordinary homes.” The sentence encapsulates both a belief and a direction — and it defines EcoFlow’s global mission for the decade ahead: to make sustainable, intelligent energy a shared reality for every household across the planet.

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The forum convened leaders from across the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Singapore, Czechia, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, and Finland. Entrepreneurs, industry pioneers, academics, and policymakers came together to craft what was, in essence, a knowledge symposium spanning continents and pointing towards the future.

The scale and stature of the gathering were evident in its participants. Global enterprises such as Nvidia, Intel, ARM, and Bosch joined forces with leading institutions including the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, the University of Helsinki, and the Czech Technical University. Professional bodies such as the British Standards Institution and the Royal Academy of Engineering lent further weight. For several days, the Entopia Building was transformed into a global stage, where the languages of technology, industry, academia, and policy converged to sketch a shared blueprint for sustainable R&D.

Yet the true value of the forum extended well beyond the walls of Cambridge. Media outlets across multiple nations continued to track its outcomes, while institutions pursued follow-up discussions and new collaborations. Bilateral research projects, international talent exchanges, and pilot programmes in emerging markets began to take shape. What started as a forum is now evolving into a dynamic network stretching from Cambridge to Prague, from Taipei to Singapore, and onwards to Lisbon and Helsinki. This momentum has not only aligned Taiwan’s technological capabilities with Europe’s policy and research frameworks but has also elevated sustainability itself—from a technical subject to a diplomatic language, a cultural dialogue, and a strategic choice.

As the forum’s official media partner, The Icons subsequently held in-depth interviews with three pivotal figures: Dr Mei-Yu Chang, Director of the International Affairs Office at NIAR; Sam Laakkonen, Senior Director at CISL; and Professor Radek Holý, Director of the Advanced Chip Design Research Centre in Czechia. From the perspectives of science diplomacy, innovation culture, and strategic balance, each offered distinct insights. Yet all converged on a singular conclusion: when technology, diplomacy, culture, and strategy intersect, sustainability innovation becomes the driving force capable of reshaping the world’s future.

Dr Mei-Yu Chang: Science as Diplomacy, Innovation as a Global Responsibility

“We follow the principle of leveraging our national strengths to address global needs.” With this opening statement, Dr Mei-Yu Chang, Director of International Affairs at Taiwan’s National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), distilled the very spirit of the forum. For her, science is not confined to laboratory results; it is a language the world can read. And innovation is no longer just technical progress—it is an assumption of international responsibility.

She outlined three fields of collaboration that emerged from the dialogue. In the net-zero transition, Taiwan showcased capabilities in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and high-performance computing for carbon-negative research. These complemented Europe’s advances in cement-sector decarbonisation technologies, creating tangible opportunities for synergy. In built environment resilience, Taiwan’s expertise in seismic retrofitting, disaster early warning systems, and AI-driven smart city applications resonated directly with Europe’s pursuit of ESG-driven property data platforms. In semiconductors, Taiwan’s silicon carbide wafer processing and low-power AI chip design extend far beyond industrial gains, forming an indispensable cornerstone for global sustainable transformation.

She stressed that what underpinned these collaborations was not mere “technology transfer” but a deeper alignment of values. “Science is diplomacy, innovation is responsibility.” Examples from the forum illustrated this point: joint projects between Taiwanese startups such as Microip, DEUVtek and Light Momentum with the Czech Technical University, together with NIAR’s formal agreements with international partners and ongoing exchanges with global experts. “Through bilateral research programmes, technology transfer mechanisms, and participation in international forums,” she explained, “Taiwan’s scientific achievements are increasingly embedded into other countries’ systems and industries, becoming gateways to bilateral and even multilateral cooperation.”

Dr Chang also placed emphasis on the strategic importance of talent mobility. NIAR oversees seven national laboratories with a vision of “pursuing global excellence while creating local value.” It has long promoted professional training to help students bridge into industry, upgrade in-service professionals, and enable academic exchange through visiting scholars and overseas placements. “Talent is the true key to turning research into international influence. Only by enabling young people to cross borders can scientific cooperation move beyond paper agreements and endure through generations.”

At the close of our interview, Dr Chang elevated her perspective further: “Taiwan does not wish to be seen merely as a link in the global supply chain. We want to be recognised as a partner that stands alongside the world in addressing shared challenges. What we aspire to is not simply the demonstration of technology, but the assumption of greater responsibility.”

Sam Laakkonen: From Local Contexts to a Shared Global Destiny

“Cross-border collaboration is essential. We can not only learn from each other’s innovation cultures but also share practical experience.” Sam Laakkonen, Senior Director at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), began his reflections by lifting the value of sustainability innovation to the level of cultural context. For him, innovation is not merely a methodology—it is shaped by the institutions, geography and history of a place.

He drew particular attention to the power of policy. “In Europe, sustainability innovation is often policy-led.” For decades, Europe has led the world in drafting sustainability regulations and standards. Though sometimes seen as onerous, these frameworks provide innovators with foresight, signalling where global policy directions are likely heading. In his words, this “institution-first” culture defines the European innovation landscape.

By contrast, Asia—Taiwan in particular—faces different realities. “Taiwan’s environmental challenges are more acute, from extreme heat to natural disasters. The way Taiwan confronts these issues can inspire European innovators.” For Laakkonen, what Asia grapples with today may well foreshadow Europe’s future. Taiwan’s solutions are therefore not parochial but serve as rehearsals for Europe—and perhaps the wider world.

Yet Laakkonen’s focus is not on high-level agreements or macro frameworks but on grassroots practice. “I firmly believe in the power of grassroots exchange. We must encourage direct interaction and engagement, so that entrepreneurs and researchers can collaborate and co-create across borders.” In his view, real innovation rarely originates in conference rooms or policy texts; it emerges from experiments by entrepreneurs and researchers on the ground.

That is why he sees grassroots exchange as decisive. “Entrepreneurs often take learnings from these exchanges directly into their solutions.” In other words, cross-cultural dialogue does not remain rhetorical but becomes tangible in the form of products, services, and market-ready responses to social needs.

In this process, Cambridge and NIAR play a catalytic role. “They are not arbiters standing above the process, but enablers who create the platforms where innovation can intersect.” For Laakkonen, their greatest contribution is to unlock spaces where grassroots energy can be sparked and amplified.

His concluding remark carried both clarity and urgency: “We cannot operate in silos. To understand another region’s context is often to understand our own future.” For him, the ultimate goal is to lift sustainability challenges from regional concerns onto the trajectory of a shared global destiny. And in that trajectory, cross-national innovation is not an option—it is an imperative.

Radek Holý: Semiconductor Collaboration Between Europe and Asia Must Transcend Technology

Professor Radek Holý, Vice-Rector of the Czech Technical University and Director of the Advanced Chip Design Research Centre (ACDRC), views technology through a strategic lens. “I see the role of ACDRC as a crucial bridge between Europe’s ambition for technological sovereignty and Taiwan’s global leadership in semiconductor innovation.”

For him, ACDRC is not merely a research institution but a hub connecting industry, policy, and geopolitics. “ACDRC has the potential to become a centre of excellence, linking Europe’s strong research capacities with Taiwan’s practical know-how and industrial expertise—particularly in chip design, where Taiwan clearly leads.” Such a fusion, he explained, will not only accelerate technological breakthroughs but also serve Europe’s geopolitical imperative: reducing reliance on external suppliers and strengthening strategic autonomy.

When speaking of collaboration with NIAR, his tone was both resolute and optimistic. “This cross-continental partnership marks a new era.” He elaborated: “Taiwan brings distinctive expertise and global market experience, while Europe contributes robust research infrastructure, a stable regulatory framework, and an increasing political will to invest in strategic technologies.” For Holý, this is the essence of European technological sovereignty—not isolationism, but the ability to build balanced and respectful partnerships with global leaders.

Yet what excites him most lies beyond the technical. “What inspires me most is the resonance of values: our shared commitment to research freedom, an openness to innovation, and a long-term vision of sustainable technological growth.” He pointed out that Czechia’s strong academic foundations, paired with Taiwan’s agility in technological leadership, offer the potential not only to advance semiconductors but also to educate the next generation of engineers and scientists capable of thriving on the global stage. “These new generations will not only compete internationally but will create new value globally.”

In his closing reflections, Professor Holý balanced the voice of an educator with the realism of a strategist. “From what we have witnessed at this forum, the future is not merely about cooperation across borders; it is about building a value-based research community.” In his vision, semiconductor collaboration between Europe and Asia will no longer be confined to technical coordination, but will emerge as a stabilising and enduring force within the global order.

The Collective Force of Sustainability Innovation Is Redefining Global Standards

The Cambridge forum opened a new corridor between Europe and Asia, bringing Taiwan’s science diplomacy, Europe’s policy culture, and the strategic imperatives of semiconductor cooperation into one shared conversation. Dr Mei-Yu Chang framed Taiwan’s role with her dictum, “Science is diplomacy, innovation is responsibility.” Sam Laakkonen urged that innovation must be grounded in lived context and grassroots practice. And Radek Holý combined education, strategy, and values to point towards a research community built on cooperation.

From different vantage points, the three leaders ultimately converged on a single truth: sustainability innovation is no longer optional—it is a global responsibility of our age.

As the official media partner of the forum, The Icons observed that this was far more than a gathering of experts. It was a living testament to how Europe and Asia can co-create the future together. From Cambridge to Taipei, from Prague to Singapore, and onwards across the globe, the momentum of sustainability innovation is crossing the frontiers of industry, academia, and diplomacy. This momentum is not only accelerating technological advancement but is also reshaping the very standards and principles of international collaboration.

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“We’ve never pursued research for its own sake, it’s always been about solving real-world problems,” Dr. Tsai affirms. As a national research institute under Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), NIAR not only responds to the demands of national science and technology policy, but also serves as a critical platform and enabler. Building bridges among academia, industry, and policymaking to drive mutual empowerment.

“Our mission includes enabling technologies still in the academic phase to reach the market and become tangible solutions.” With a strong background in scientific research and deep policy expertise, Dr. Tsai has provided NIAR with a clear identity: “Technology implementation shouldn’t be a scattered series of isolated incidents, it should be a coordinated and structured system.” Guided by this vision, NIAR is evolving from a research institution into a dynamic platform for technology translation and policy implementation, playing a pivotal role in aligning Taiwan’s technological capabilities with global needs, and unlocking new avenues for international collaboration and shared success.

On 16 June 2025, NIAR co-hosted the “Taiwan–UK Sustainability Research and Development Forum” with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) at the iconic Entopia Building, a beacon of green innovation in Cambridge. The event marked a milestone in cross-continental dialogue, connecting academia, industry, and government from both regions to advance the future of sustainable development.

Between Europe and Asia: Three Strategic Pillars Under the Theme of Sustainability

This “Taiwan-UK Sustainability Research and Development Forum”, co-hosted by Taiwan NIAR and the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) at the renowned Entopia Building, served as a platform for fostering in-depth dialogue between Asia and Europe.

Key speakers included Sam Laakkonen, Senior Director of Sustainability Innovation at CISL; Dr. Mei-Yu Chang, Director of International Affairs at NIAR; Dr. Konrad Young, Director of Arculus Lab and CEO of the Industry-Academia Innovation College at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology; Dr. Radek Holý, Director of the Advanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC) in the Czech Republic; and Professor Jonathan Cullen, a leading expert in sustainable engineering at the University of Cambridge.

The forum centred on three strategic themes: net-zero emissions, resilient built environments, and sustainable semiconductors. “These themes weren’t chosen at random,” said Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of Taiwan’s National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR). “They represent the most urgent challenges facing global sustainability technologies today and more importantly, they are areas where Taiwan is uniquely equipped to make a global contribution.”

Dr. Tsai stressed that climate change has placed enormous pressure on the resilience of cities worldwide, making energy efficiency and disaster response a core element of urban governance. At the same time, semiconductors, long a cornerstone of Taiwan’s tech industry, have become essential to the world’s energy systems and computational demands. “Sustainable semiconductors,” he added, “are not just timely, they’re vital.”

These three focus areas clearly reflect NIAR’s vision of applied research as a system-wide, actionable platform, not just isolated innovation but a mechanism for scalable, real-world impact.

In addition to Dr. Tsai, the forum brought together a distinguished lineup of cross-disciplinary leaders from Taiwan and the UK. These included Dr. Simon Hsu, NIAR’s Chief Operating Officer; Dr. Juin-Fu Chai, Deputy Director General of NIAR’s National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering; Dr. Wen-Yi Chang, Research Fellow at NIAR’s National Center for High-performance Computing; and Dr. Jiunn-Yih Chyan, COO of DEUVtek Co., Ltd. and an expert in semiconductor process integration. Also present was Allen Cheng, CEO of Light Momentum Technology Corp. and a specialist in IC design.

From the UK side, Wendy Niu, Sustainability Innovation Manager at the British Standards Institution (BSI), contributed perspectives on regulatory frameworks. Dr. Agnieszka Iwasiewicz-Wabnig, Industry Lead for Zero Carbon Strategy at the University of Cambridge’s Maxwell Centre, and Viola Jardon, Director of Sustainable Innovation Programmes at CISL, offered insights on innovation ecosystems in the UK and Europe. Harry Hsu, CEO of《The Icons》, also participated, bridging the dialogue between leadership media and scientific advancement.

President Hung-Yin Tsai: Every International Dialogue Sets a Benchmark for the Future of Taiwan’s Global Tech Outreach

Empowered by NIAR, the spotlight at the Cambridge “Taiwan-UK Sustainable R&D Forum” this year shone on four pioneering forces representing Taiwan’s innovation and research capabilities: DEUVtek Co., Ltd., Light Momentum Technology Corp., Microip Inc. (along with its R&D arm, Arculus Lab), and the Advanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC), a joint initiative between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. These names stood not merely for technical achievement, but for the tangible transformation of scientific research into global collaborations.

The innovations showcased by these organisations span cutting-edge fields: from sustainable semiconductor materials and low-power AI chip design to integrated packaging solutions and international chip development partnerships. DEUVtek focuses on sustainable materials for the semiconductor industry; Light Momentum merges AI with green computing; Microip drives future electronics with advanced packaging technologies; and ACDRC supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-established by NIAR and the Czech Cyber Security Hub in Brno, acts as a key node for European semiconductor collaboration and talent mobility. The three startups mentioned above also contribute their efforts to Taiwan-Czechia academic and industrial collaboration in ACDRC.

“We are not just building international bridges for strong technical teams,” said NIAR President Dr. Hong-Ying Tsai with conviction.

“Each international dialogue is a serious test and a standard-setting example for Taiwan’s future technology export models. We do everything we can to ensure these companies and institutions are able to cross boundaries and land in the corners of the world best suited to them. Forming real partnerships, R&D collaborations, and even commercial opportunities.”

According to Dr Tsai, NIAR’s long-term strategy is to strategically support enterprises with the maturity and readiness to connect with the international scientific community. Many of these featured companies are not only technically advanced but are also preparing for public listing. Once paired with global partners, their commercial and technological influence can lift the entire industry’s ecosystem.

“This isn’t hypothetical or aspirational,” Tsai concluded.

“It is concrete evidence of Taiwan’s tech sector entering the global supply chain and sustainable transformation agenda. It also defines NIAR’s very purpose to ensure Taiwan’s innovation finds its rightful place on the world stage.”

Embracing Global Tech Diplomacy: Taiwan’s Gateway into the International Sustainability Community

As technology increasingly becomes the central language of global governance and sustainable development, Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of Taiwan’s National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), described the NIAR–CISL collaboration on the Taiwan-UK Sustainability R&D Forum as a “concrete exercise in technology diplomacy.”

“No matter the distance between Taiwan and the UK, or Taipei and Cambridge, we are all moving toward the same direction, responding to the global mission of sustainability,” Tsai remarked. Using a vivid metaphor, he added, “This collaboration is like two rapidly spinning tops meeting at the perfect moment, striking sparks of cross-disciplinary innovation.”

Held at the Entopia Building, headquarters of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), the forum carried symbolic weight. As the first building in the UK to simultaneously achieve EnerPHit, BREEAM Outstanding, and WELL Gold certifications, Entopia stands as a model for sustainable construction and healthy working environments. It is one of the rare global examples of a retrofitted structure that successfully meets both net-zero carbon and social impact goals.

“Entopia isn’t just a symbol of European green architecture,” Tsai emphasized. “It’s a living lab for sustainable innovation. Hosting this dialogue here reflects our commitment to embedding Taiwanese technological innovation at the heart of Europe’s sustainability ecosystem.”

The forum brought together leaders from government, industry, and academia across the UK, Finland, Czech Republic, and Taiwan, sparking an unprecedented international technology dialogue. “We’re proud to see Taiwan’s research perspectives recognized and responded to on the global stage,” Tsai said.

He further underscored that research should not remain confined within national laboratories. It must step into the global sustainability community, engage with global trends, and contribute meaningfully to international dialogue:

“What we co-created with Cambridge CISL was not merely a forum. It was a dialogue on technological sovereignty and global participation. This marks a historic moment for Taiwan’s science and innovation entering the global core, and reflects our role as a key contributor in the world’s sustainable future.”

Empowering Taiwanese Talent to Go Global, Welcoming Global Talent to Taiwan

In today’s world, scientific innovation is no longer the domain of isolated laboratories. Instead, it has evolved into a systemic endeavour, one that crosses institutions, borders, and cultures. Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), underscores the importance of governance in fostering this shift:

“True innovation emerges when cross-disciplinary dialogue becomes a daily and institutionalised practice.”

Under his leadership, NIAR has developed a unique inter-centre collaboration mechanism that connects seven national-level research centres. Biweekly cross-centre executive meetings are held to review project progress and coordinate resources.

“This not only improves organisational efficiency but also lays the groundwork for genuine cross-disciplinary cooperation,” said Dr. Tsai. “Through familiarity and mutual understanding, collaboration becomes more than a slogan, it becomes reality.”

To further institutionalise a culture of innovation, NIAR launched the i-Dream Program, a biannual open call that encourages joint proposals among centres.

“We place strong emphasis on cross-centre and international collaboration,” Dr. Tsai noted. “Because only through the collision of diverse perspectives can true breakthroughs occur.” He views the initiative not merely as technical integration but as a strategic fusion of culture and talent:

“Our goal is to cultivate an innovation ecosystem capable of global dialogue, an ecosystem that extends beyond national borders and into our international partnerships and talent strategies.”

President Tsai Hong-Ying emphasises that NIAR’s mission is not only to send Taiwanese talent abroad but also to bring global talent into Taiwan. By promoting internships and research opportunities for European master’s and doctoral students, NIAR aims to provide the next generation with first-hand experience of Taiwan’s industrial depth and forward-thinking innovation.

“These students and scholars from around the world, working alongside young Taiwanese talent across NIAR’s platforms, represent the bridges to the future in our view. What we are cultivating is more than talent; it is every possible connection between Taiwan, the world, and what’s to come.”

For Whom Is Innovation Born, and Why Does Research Advance

“Discussing technological and sustainable innovation is not merely about linking technologies. It is a dialogue among society, humanity, and the environment,” affirmed Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of Taiwan’s National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR). He stressed that true innovation must respond to societal structures, cultural contexts, and ecological limits. “We should not only ask how to innovate, but more importantly, for whom we are innovating.”

As the interview drew to a close, Dr. Tsai concluded, “The value of science lies not in data, but in how it is absorbed and practiced by society.” He further emphasized that innovation which stays confined to academic papers, without being translated into tangible industrial or societal impact, falls short of its full potential. That is precisely where NIAR steps in—to build a systemic engine that brings cutting-edge technology into the real world.

Dr. Tsai also addressed a common challenge: when research remains isolated in academia, even the most precise technologies risk becoming castles in the air. To counter this, he has been actively promoting cross-center, cross-national, and cross-sector collaboration, not only to integrate technologies, but also to align culture and human capital: “Innovation cannot rely solely on technology; it must also inspire participation, be supported by institutions, and be embraced by culture.”

In Dr. Tsai’s vision, NIAR serves as a bridge connecting government, industry, academia, and research. It is not only an enabler amplifying Taiwan’s policy and technological capabilities, but also a platform for global dialogue and meaningful engagement with the times:

“With every international exchange, we showcase Taiwan’s strengths and contributions to the world. With every global collaboration, we enable our partners to feel that working with Taiwan is not only mutually beneficial, but also meaningful and sustainable.”

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UKL, founded in 1988, is a classic example. Under the leadership of the company’s founder, Judy Tsai, who upholds the strengths of Taiwanese enterprises—integrity, professionalism, and innovation—the company has grown steadily. UKL has always been a designated supplier for international brands in Europe and America, providing high-quality sweaters and knitwear to customers worldwide. After HSIEH, HUAN-CHI took over as Executive Vice President, his innovative energy has made UKL a focal point in the field of sustainable fashion development in recent years.

“I have always believed that as long as you believe in what you are doing, the path ahead in this sustainable journey will naturally extend forward. The scenery along the way is determined by me!” HSIEH, HUAN-CHI leads the team and has consecutively won the SME award in the 2022 DBS Foundation Grant Program and two awards in the 2023 Taiwan Golden Pin Design Award. Recently, UKL’s brand, PALF, was selected as a highlight in the “THE GREEN BOOK Taiwan Sustainable Actions and Solutions Guide” by Good Loop Exchange and Business Weekly. UKL also won two design awards at the 2024 iF Design Awards in Germany, becoming an international leader in green fashion.

“In the near future, what we aim to achieve is to redefine the new value of recycled bio-materials through our technology and design. This is my vision and mission. Friends from various fields, including international media, have asked me about the secret to leading sustainable fashion. The answer is simple,” HSIEH, HUAN-CHI firmly stated in an interview with 《The Icons》.

“The path of sustainable fashion is full of challenges, but we can still move forward confidently and invite more like-minded partners to walk alongside us. Believing in doing what is beneficial for the environment and humanity will attract more partners to join the path of sustainability. ‘Believe, and you will see!'”

HSIEH, HUAN-CHI: Sustainability Should Be Boldly Practiced and Worn!

After graduating from the Institute of Electrical Engineering, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI returned to the family business, UKL, to take over. Initially, leveraging his academic expertise, he was primarily responsible for the systematic integration within the company. As he became more familiar with the company’s operations, HSIEH began to ponder how to manage the company better and understand the details of business expansion.

HSIEH pointed out that since the lifting of export quota restrictions on China’s textile industry in 3, the global textile industry has been forced to rethink how to transform due to the reorganization of resources and changes in labor costs. It was during this challenging time that he started overseeing the company’s business development department.

“I realized that the company must transition from the traditional OEM model to ODM, allowing our clients to showcase greater design capabilities and even brand strength in the market. At this time, I also began to require our sales team to take proactive measures, not only to learn to observe market demand changes but also not to neglect product development.”

This transformation naturally brought a series of challenges to the company’s transition. However, it gradually cultivated new competitiveness for the company, including ample preparation for leading sustainable fashion in the future:

“My team continuously innovates, focusing on creating value for our customers and effectively solving their problems. As sustainability awareness began to sprout simultaneously across various countries, I often asked myself how we could redefine product value and even amplify and create more possibilities?” HSIEH said. When he suddenly realized one day that with a single decision, materials like pineapple leaf fiber, oyster yarn, discarded fishing nets, and recycled PET bottle yarn could be made into fashionable and comfortable clothing, he saw UKL’s new market positioning emerge.

“Continuously launching one sustainable fashion product after another, all fully circular textile products, is what I aim to do. Sustainability should not remain in the heart or be mere talk on paper; it should be boldly practiced and worn! Moreover, I want everyone to wear it fashionably, leading the times not only in sustainability issues but also in aesthetics.”

Utilizing Local Materials for Circular Reuse: Paving the Way to Sustainable Fashion

With a keen sensitivity to the global market—especially as international clients accelerate their net-zero transitions, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI began to feel a growing conviction within: a bold vision waiting to be raised like a banner.

“In the early days of sustainable fashion, most recycled products were derived from plastics. But as more global companies joined this movement, the scope rapidly expanded. Coca-Cola, for instance, announced that by 2030, all of its products will be made from recycled bottles. That’s when I decided we had to go further, not just reuse existing materials, but build circularity from our own land.”

That ambition led UKL to launch its first in-house brand, EVOPURE+, a leader in sustainable fashion. In 2022, the brand debuted in collaboration with Taiwan’s professional baseball league, introducing a red-and-white performance jacket that quickly became a fan favourite. By Earth Day 2023, they released Taiwan’s first fully circular T-shirt, a breathable, sweat-wicking oversized tee made entirely from circular fabric, complete with cutting-edge eco-design.

“Behind the scenes, our team meticulously sourced yarn from recycled PET bottles and discarded garments. Even the printing used biodegradable pigments, the wash label was made from recycled bottles, hang tags came from repurposed pulp, and packaging was fully compostable. Every detail reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting this planet.”

Following the success of EVOPURE+, Hsieh identified an overlooked local resource: pineapple leaves. As Taiwan’s top fruit in both production and value, pineapples generate nearly 800,000 metric tons of discarded leaves annually. Remarkably, Taiwan’s pineapple leaf fibres are more than twice as fine as those in Southeast Asia—an untapped edge in circular innovation.

Thus, PALF (Pineapple Leaves Fiber) was born—a plant-based eco-fibre brand using proprietary fibre extraction and yarn production technologies. PALF fibres are biodegradable, breathable, soft to the touch, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-resistant, and exceptionally durable. They can even be blended with natural or synthetic fibres to form sustainable plant-based leather with a premium hand feel.

“When you wear PALF, you’re not just embracing style—you’re taking part in transforming agricultural waste into sustainable value.”

In February 2024, PALF was verified under ISO 14067, showing a carbon footprint of 0.784 kg CO₂e per kilogram—about one-tenth that of flax and one-fourth that of cotton. With advantages such as short growth cycles, easy cultivation, local sourcing, and low water consumption—97% less than cotton—PALF proves that sustainability and style can indeed go hand in hand.

Beyond garments, UKL has extended PALF into accessories and home décor, positioning Taiwan’s innovation at the heart of the global sustainable fashion ecosystem.

Hsieh Huan-Chi, Executive Vice President of UKL, recalls that his commitment to sustainability began with a series of insights into consumer trends and planetary needs. Realizing UKL’s deep industrial capacity and agile market foresight, he saw a unique opportunity:

“Applying for B Corp certification helped me understand the essence of business impact. I truly believe companies can drive profit while contributing to people, planet, and purpose. The key lies in this one question: Are you willing to be the starting point for change?”

From National Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team to Global Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team

As mentioned earlier, Taiwan produces approximately 800,000 tons of pineapple leaf waste annually. In the past, over 60% of it was incinerated, causing air pollution and incurring additional cleaning costs. If buried, it takes 3 to 6 months before the land can be used again. Additionally, global textile waste amounts to 92 million tons per year. Although many businesses have started to invest in waste recycling, the results have been less than satisfactory. HSIEH, HUAN-CHI identifies the problem:

“These manufacturers lack a systematic business plan from production to sales and even within the supply chain. Currently, sustainable operations are still quite new in Taiwan, so cross-sector collaboration is essential. Going back to my concept of ‘The Source Starts with Me,’ UKL’s mission is to integrate existing resources both domestically and internationally, including establishing a business system, collaborating with public sectors and supply chains, and building a global ecosystem.”

In addition to researching and developing pineapple leaf fiber technologies, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI’s team collaborates with academia, such as the Industrial Technology Research Institute and Keio University in Japan, to transform research results into practical applications and establish international cooperation networks. In Taiwan, they work with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Administration to jointly establish relevant systems. They have designed a modular development plan that includes industry, government, academia, and research and established the “Taiwan Pineapple Leaf Fiber Production and Marketing Alliance” to integrate all existing resources in Taiwan.

Furthermore, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI has integrated supply chain resources in Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia and worked with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council to seek more like-minded international partners. Through media promotion and exhibitions, UKL showcases its achievements and establishes close partnerships with farms from Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Africa, Japan, and other countries around the world.

“In my previous role as head of business development, I put great effort into understanding market trends and customer needs, enabling us to create products that meet market expectations. Through numerous presentations, I convinced both government and private entities to become our partners, establishing the current National Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team. Moving forward, I aim to establish the Global Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team!”

Entering the Global Arena of Sustainability Discourse

UKL has laid out a systematic roadmap and strategy for advancing green material transformation, beginning with the innovative development of PALF, a regenerated fibre derived from agricultural waste in Taiwan. By transforming discarded pineapple leaves into a high-potential, internationally viable material, UKL demonstrates how localized agricultural by-products can be leveraged to build a globally relevant circular economy model. The initiative integrates supply chain resources across Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, combining raw material innovation, systemic design, and cross-border collaboration.

One of the most emblematic projects is the “ShowYourStripes” climate action shirt, which translates Taiwan’s temperature data from 1850 to the present into a striking gradient of blue-to-red stripes. Crafted using PALF, a fibre with an exceptionally low carbon footprint, the shirt turns climate science into wearable visual language, while redefining the value of sustainable fashion through thoughtful design. It’s more than clothing, it’s climate advocacy, worn and seen.

As global awareness of climate issues continues to rise, UKL is steadily establishing its presence on the international stage. Executive Vice President Hsieh, Huan-Chi affirms:

“We’re not just telling a brand story, we’re taking real action. We’re doing something that can truly contribute to the world, starting from the land, from materials, and turning climate advocacy into something people can wear and understand.”

PALF Mass Production Begins: Partnering with Government to Bring Circularity from Soil to the World

In June 2025, UKL, in collaboration with Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Jiuru Township Farmers’ Association, held the “Pineapple Plant Circular Agriculture Milestone” launch ceremony in Pingtung. This event marked the official start of mass production and export of pineapple leaf fibres, transforming what was once an agricultural by-product into a sustainable material with global value. It also signified a major milestone in UKL’s circular economy journey.

“This is not a brand marketing campaign, it’s a genuine sustainability movement rooted in the land,” said UKL Executive Vice President Hsieh, Huan-Chi. “When you wear these garments, you’re also supporting rural economies, carbon reduction, and material innovation.”

A total of 100 kilograms of fibres were produced in this initial phase, enough to manufacture approximately 7,500 garments. The first shipments are destined for markets in the United States, Japan, and Vietnam. This transformation was made possible through long-term collaboration between UKL, local farmers’ associations, and government agencies. Hsieh noted that pineapple leaves were previously discarded through incineration or burial—practices that created environmental burdens and wasted potential value. “Now, these once-overlooked materials have become valuable regenerative fibres. Each hectare of farmland can generate over NT$10,000 in additional income for farmers. That’s what true circular economy looks like.”

During the event, Minister of Agriculture Chen Chun-chi remarked, “This is more than just the start of a circular economy, it’s a breakthrough for upgrading Taiwan’s local agriculture.” He emphasized the Ministry’s continued investment in automated harvesting and fibre extraction technology to help build a more robust material transformation and supply chain system.

“From farmland and fibre extraction to design and global markets, we are not working in isolation,” Hsieh added. “We’re building an entire ecosystem. This is not a one-time project, it’s a sustainable pathway forward. We hope pineapple leaves from Taiwan will soon take centre stage on the global stage.”

Whenever You See Pineapple Leaves, Think of UKL!

Despite constant media coverage both domestically and internationally, and reaching milestone after milestone, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI, with his powerful vision, remains unsatisfied. Although widely recognized as a leader in sustainable fashion, he holds himself to even higher standards while leading the entire group. In addition to planning to achieve at least 10% of the company’s total electricity consumption from green energy and increase the share of renewable energy to 25% by 2025, their technical team is also diligently planning carbon-neutral pineapple leaf fiber products. On the business side, they have set a goal of reaching $8 million in revenue from their green products by 2024. Since 2021, they have recycled over 60 tons of pineapple leaf waste and have collaborated with other towns and cities in Taiwan to further expand their economic scale. Additionally, HSIEH, HUAN-CHI plans to aggressively promote their brand PALF in the global market, with the first step being the establishment of a company in California, USA, to enter the American market.

HSIEH, HUAN-CHI stated that although UKL originated in Taiwan, a geographically small island with limited natural resources compared to other countries, it possesses abundant innovative development capabilities and resilience that refuses to compromise with the status quo. By leveraging cross-disciplinary collaboration to apply and design recycled circular materials in various ways, creating more added value for products, and viewing product design from a market perspective, more of Taiwan’s sustainable materials and concepts can be promoted to the global market.

As a B Corporation, UKL deeply embeds sustainability DNA in all aspects, including employee care, environmental protection, and friendly procurement, implementing ESG. In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UKL leads several initiatives. These include using sustainable materials to produce sustainable products through sustainable production processes, fulfilling Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; responding to Goal 13: Climate Action through carbon reduction strategies in both operational and production environments; and co-creating Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals with partners from various ecosystems such as the Taiwan Pineapple Leaf Fiber Production and Marketing Alliance, the Ai Respite Caregivers Alliance, multiple B Corporation partners, Taiwan De Fu Alliance, DBS Impact Circle, and the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Foundation Asia-Pacific Center. In HSIEH, HUAN-CHI’s view, this is just the beginning.

“Bio Base is a magical thing. Even with the same pineapple, the leaf fibers from different regions are completely different. If this is true for pineapples, how much more so for us as people? Don’t limit your own horizons. Believe in yourself, and you’ll see the road ahead. As you strive, the whole world will come together to help you succeed! Just remember one thing,” HSIEH, HUAN-CHI said:

“We are each the source of change!”

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The post Earth-Friendly Fashion: Embracing Sustainability! HSIEH, HUAN-CHI, Executive Vice President of UKL: Because We Believe, Each of Us Can Be the Source! first appeared on The Icons.