President Lai and Paraguayan President Visit NCHC Cloud Computing Center; “Chip Innovation 26” Supercomputer Marks a New Milestone in Technology Diplomacy

On the morning of May 9, President Lai Ching-te welcomed President Santiago Peña Palacios of the Republic of Paraguay to visit the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC), part of the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), at its Tainan branch. The visit highlighted Taiwan’s strengths in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI), while reinforcing the recently signed Taiwan–Paraguay Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sovereign AI Computing Center Investment and Cooperation.

Accompanied by representatives from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and NCHC, the two heads of state toured the NCHC Cloud Computing Center. During the visit, NCHC Director Chau-Lyan Chang emphasized that in the AI era, sovereign computing power is a key component of national digital competitiveness. As a cornerstone project under Taiwan’s “AI Ten Major Infrastructure Initiatives,” the center features 15 MW of power capacity, advanced seismic protection, energy-efficient technologies, and multiple backup systems. It serves not only as a national computing hub but also as a strategic asset for enhancing network resilience and safeguarding information security.

A major highlight of the visit was “Chip Innovation 26,” Taiwan’s fastest and most densely configured supercomputer. Powered by NVIDIA’s latest H200 GPUs and GB200 NVL72 architecture, the system delivers 81.55 PFLOPS of performance and ranks 29th globally on the TOP500 list. The system demonstrates Taiwan’s capability to support cutting-edge applications such as generative AI, climate modeling, life sciences, and semiconductor research, providing a strong sovereign AI foundation for national R&D and industrial innovation.

During the tour, President Peña signed a commemorative message on the wall outside the Chip Innovation machine room, writing in Spanish: “Poder Computacional es Poder Nacional” (“Computing Power is National Power”), along with a message celebrating the partnership between Paraguay and Taiwan. The inscription serves as a lasting symbol of the growing technological friendship between the two nations.

To commemorate the occasion, Director Chau-Lyan Chang presented President Peña with a special gift: a commemorative display featuring a CPU chip from Taiwania 1, Taiwan’s first petascale supercomputer. The gift symbolizes the beginning of deeper technological cooperation and the shared commitment of both countries to advancing toward a smarter future.

Director Chau-Lyan Chang presented a special congratulatory gift on behalf of NCHC.

President Lai and President Peña hear a briefing by Chang Chau-lyan (張朝亮), director general of the NCHC, on Taiwan’s vision for the development of computing power.

Related News: https://english.president.gov.tw/NEWS/7135