- Taiwan AICC, launched by Enlight, Supermicro, and Chief Telecom, will feature 256 NVIDIA H200 GPUs, aiming for top 15 global ranking.
- Malaysian AICC, operational by Q2 2025, will replicate Taiwan model, enhancing AI research and development in Southeast Asia.
- AICA includes major partners like Fortinet and UNIC Technology, focusing on expanding AI computing power across Asia.
Initiated by Enlight Corporation, in conjunction with SuperMicro and Chief Telecom, the Taiwan AI Computing Centre (AICC) was officially launched on July 26, 2024. Legislator Cheng Cheng-Chien and Director-General of the Department of Investment Promotion at MOEA, Chang Ming-Pin, also personally attended the press conference. This centre features Asia’s first installation of NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs and Supermicro’s warm water cooling technology. The goal is to complete the installation of 256 advanced computing servers, which is expected to rank among the top 15 super computing centres globally.
The AICC plans to replicate its successful model in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, forming the AI Computing Alliance (AICA). This will promote advancements in AI and high-performance computing throughout the Asian region.
This groundbreaking initiative is a collaborative effort with major industry players including Fortinet, Inc., UNIC Technology Corp., Bingo Group Holdings Limited, J&V Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Red Building Capital, ZoobeTek, iSpan International Inc., Bulky Animation Studio, VMFive, Infinitix Inc., and VCI Global Limited. The alliance aims to establish advanced AI Computing Centres (AICCs) and accelerate the development of the AI ecosystem.
Taiwan to inaugurate Asia’s first AICC with NVIDIA H200 GPUs
The first AI Computing Centre (AICC) will be inaugurated in Taiwan. This facility will feature the latest NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs, which deliver a performance boost of 1.43 times over the previous H100 GPUs.
Joe Lin, Chairman of Enlight announced that the AICC computing centre will be located in the newly completed LY2 AI Intelligent Data Centre building by Chief Telecom. The development will proceed in stages, with the first phase deploying 128 warm water-cooled GPU servers equipped with H200 computing acceleration chips, reaching a computational power of 46.54 PFLOPS (or petaFLOPS, floating-point operations per second, a measure of computer performance in computing). This initial phase is expected to rank between 20th and 25th in the global supercomputing rankings. AICC’s operations will officially start in the fourth quarter of 2024.
In the second phase, the centre will expand to 256 servers powered by NVIDIA H200 GPUs, achieving a total AI computing power of 93 PFLOPS, which is projected to place it 15th globally, making it one of the fastest AI data centres in Asia.
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In collaboration with AI supply chain partner Supermicro, and strategic alliance partners such as Chief Telecom, Infinitix, BESTA, and VMFive, Enlight will provide powerful computing resources for big data analysis, deep learning training, and complex computational simulations. The Taiwan AICC will serve as an innovation incubator, offering GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) across various industries including governments, financial institutions, marketing, entertainment, and medicine. The center will also donate a portion of its computing power for public applications, including use by government agencies, schools and research institutions.
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AICC to set new standards in green computing
Enlight has announced that the AICC will become Asia’s first H200 AI computing centre to utilise a warm water cooling system by Supermicro, aiming to achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) value of 1.09, setting a new benchmark in green computing. This initiative will significantly reduce operating costs and carbon footprint, demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainable development and placing the AICC among the world’s leading green computing centres.
Also read: Singapore unveils Green Data Centres for a sustainable future
AI computing power is just beginning to take off and will not become a bubble.
Wally Liaw, Supermicro co-founder
Wally Liaw, Supermicro co-founder stated that AI computing power is just beginning to take off and will not become a bubble. He believes the future prospects are very promising.
Strategic importance and future prospects: Malaysia and beyond
Following the success in Taiwan, the AI Computing Alliance plans to extend its reach by establishing additional AICCs in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia, etc.
The Malaysian AICC, expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2025, will replicate the advanced model of the Taiwan centre. This facility will serve as a central hub for AI research, development, and application, significantly boosting Malaysia’s position in the global AI landscape.
Power explosive LLM growth
The AICA is committed to building a resilient network of AI computing centres worldwide to meet the growing demand for AI computing power, driven by the increasing use of Large Language Models (LLMs). According to research by MarketsandMarkets, the global LLM market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30%, from approximately USD 7 billion in 2024 to over USD 35 billion by 2030.
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Boost AI talent and transformation in Taiwan
In alignment with the AI Taiwan initiative, AICA will organise technical exchange conferences, training courses, and innovation competitions to cultivate local AI professionals. It will also support enterprises and governments in achieving AI transformation, helping Taiwan secure a leading position and influence on the international AI stage.
We are particularly excited about developing our next AICC in Malaysia, which will enhance our capability to serve the region’s growing AI needs.
Sam Ding, Chief Executive Officer of AICA Taiwan
Sam Ding, Chief Executive Officer of AICA Taiwan, stated, “We are delighted to welcome our alliance partners as we expand our presence in Southeast Asia and beyond. Their involvement will significantly accelerate our success. We are particularly excited about developing our next AICC in Malaysia, which will enhance our capability to serve the region’s growing AI needs.”
Dato’ Victor Hoo, Group Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian VCI Global, shared his enthusiasm, saying, “We are extremely excited to join this formidable alliance. Our participation will advance the AI ecosystem and better serve the region, particularly in China and Malaysia.” VCI Global will serve as the strategic partner in the AICA initiatives with plans to establish the first AICC in Malaysia.
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About Enlight Corporation
Enlight Corporation, established in 1982, is founded on the principles of innovation, integrity, and excellence. The company focuses on AI computing development, e-commerce, and optoelectronic manufacturing services. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Enlight has subsidiaries in Taipei, Taoyuan, Tainan, and Yilan. Leveraging its e-commerce expertise, Enlight develops AI computing services to meet high-performance computing and big data analysis needs, optimising business operations through comprehensive data services.
In May 2019, Enlight introduced a brand offering household appliances in Taiwan, available both online and in physical stores. The company has also ventured into the beauty and skincare sectors, distributing the Swiss salon skincare brand “BelleWave” and its own brand “Jubilux”.
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Supermicro is a global technology leader committed to delivering first-to-market innovation for Enterprise, Cloud, AI, Metaverse, and 5G Telco/Edge IT Infrastructure. Supermicro is a Rack-Scale Total IT Solutions provider that designs and builds an environmentally-friendly and energy-saving portfolio of servers, storage systems, switches, software, along with global support services.
Also read: Dell and Super Micro team up for xAI supercomputer
About Chief Telecom
Chief Telecom, the leading VPN service provider in Greater China, was founded in January 1991. The company has evolved through three distinct phases: initially as a system integrator in 1991, then becoming Taiwan’s largest telecommunications bandwidth wholesaler in 1996, and later transitioning to a special Type II operator of a telecommunication centre in 2000.
In 2006, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan’s largest telecom service provider, acquired over 70% of Chief Telecom’s shares. By 2008, Chief Telecom had partnered with Microsoft to offer Windows Live IP calling services on the Windows Live Messenger platform.
As a carrier-neutral entity, Chief Telecom allows its partners to choose circuits from any domestic or international carriers to meet their connectivity needs to Greater China and other regions. This flexibility enables Chief Telecom’s partners to differentiate their services in a highly competitive market.
About VCI Global Limited
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, VCI Global’s main operations are centered in Asia, with significant visibility across Asia Pacific, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. VCI Global primarily offers consulting services in capital markets, real estate, AI, and technology. In technology businesses, the company operates a proprietary financing platform that serves companies and individuals, as well as a secured messaging platform serving governments and organisations. VCI Global also invests, incubates, accelerates, and commercialises businesses and technologies in AI and robotics.
