Doctor AI? Taiwan’s tech giants make a push into smart healthcare

Imagine having to undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG) test for 14 days, but instead of wearing a Holter monitor, you simply attach a small device to your chest with a disposable body patch.

- By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Editor-in-Chief

Or maybe imagine a doctor using artificial intelligence (AI) assisted diagnostic software that can scan images of your eyes and quickly detect signs of damage.

‘These are some of the next-generation, patient-friendly and Al-integrated healthcare innovations developed by Taiwan’s top tech companies Quanta Computer and Acer Medical.

Quanta has developed the QOCA Portable ECG Monitoring Device, a lightweight and compact device that can be used at the hospital or at home.

Acer Medical has come out with VeriSee, an Al-powered diagnostic software solution that is designed to assist doctors with the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions.

Both companies are making a push in digital healthcare at a time when Taiwan is facing an increasingly aging population and declining birth rates.

Taiwan is looking to leverage its strength in information and communication technology and AI to ensure it becomes a key player in the global healthcare market. Its government has made digital healthcare a key part of its national industrial policy and identified it as a key application area for Al.

Taiwan’s AI healthcare market is forecast to grow to 1.12 billion New Taiwan dollars (NT$) by 2030, from NT$360 billion in 2023, according to DigiTimes Research.

QUANTA

Quanta Computer is the world’s largest computer original design manufacturer (ODM) and laptop computer maker, but it is increasingly expanding into sectors such as smart healthcare to drive future growth.

Dr. Ted Chang, chief technology officer at Quanta Computer, said healthcare has become a critical global issue especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We tried to make sure that we can put some very important efforts on enabling or advancing AI for the future of healthcare and medicine,” he said during a briefing with foreign journalists at the Quanta headquarters in Taoyuan City in July.