Wu Cheng-wen (engineer)
{{Short description|Taiwanese engineer and computer scientist (born 1958)}}
{{family name hatnote|Wu|lang=Taiwanese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Wu Cheng-wen
| native_name = {{nobold|吳誠文}}
| image = 吳誠文主任委員.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| order1 =
| office1 = 2nd Minister of the Science and Technology Council
| premier1 = Cho Jung-tai
| deputy1 =
| term_start1 = 20 May 2024
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Wu Tsung-tsong
| successor1 =
| office2 = President of the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology
| predecessor2 = Lu Deng-maw
| successor2 = Chou De-kuang
| term_start2 = 2023
| term_end2 = 20 May 2024
| nationality = Taiwanese
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|September 18, 1958}}
| birth_place = Tainan, Taiwan
| spouse =
| children =
| signature =
| education = National Taiwan University (BS)
University of California, Santa Barbara (MS, PhD)
}}
Wu Cheng-wen ({{zh|t=吳誠文}}; born September 18, 1958) is a Taiwanese electrical engineer, computer scientist, and academic who has served as the minister of the National Science and Technology Council since 20 May 2024.
Early life and education
Wu was born in 1958 in Tainan.{{cite news |title=President |url=https://www.stust.edu.tw/en/president |access-date=17 April 2024 |publisher=Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology}} Wu was an outfielder and pitcher for the Tainan Giants, representing Taiwan in the 1971 Little League World Series.{{cite news |title=Wu Cheng-wen’s journey from star pitcher to Taiwan’s next science minister |url=https://english.ftvnews.com.tw/news/2024416W0AEA |access-date=16 April 2024 |publisher=Formosa Television}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SRfhOr_5sQ Video]{{cite news |title=Giant killers of baseball |url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?post=23031&unit=12,29,33,45 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taiwan Today |date=1 September 1973}} After graduating from National Tainan First Senior High School, he attended National Taiwan University (NTU) and graduated with his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in electrical engineering in 1981. He then completed graduate studies in the United States at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned his Master of Science (M.S.) and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer engineering in 1985 and 1987, respectively.{{Cite web |title=Cheng-Wen Wu {{!}} Taiwan Science and Technology Hub @Stanford |url=https://taiwansthub.stanford.edu/people/cheng-wen-wu |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=taiwansthub.stanford.edu |language=en}} His doctoral dissertation was supervised by computer science professor Peter Capello.{{cite news |date=29 March 2010 |title=Dr. Cheng-Wen Wu was appointed as Vice President at ITRI |url=https://cs.ucsb.edu/happenings/news/dr-cheng-wen-wu-was-appointed-vice-president-itri |access-date=16 April 2024 |publisher=University of California, Santa Barbara Department of Computer Science}}
Academic career
After receiving his doctorate, Wu joined the National Tsing Hua University faculty in 1987. Wu later became vice president of National Tsing Hua University. In this role, Wu attended the 2016 ceremony marking the establishment of an office for the China-funded Cross-Strait Tsinghua Research Institute at NTHU.{{cite news |title=Cross-strait education exchanges must adhere to Taiwan law: MOE |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202111100002 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=10 November 2021}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=Ministry urges no extralegal university collaboration with entities from China |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/11/11/2003767699 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=11 November 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Pan |first1=Jason |title=NTHU officials urged to resign over China center |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/11/11/2003767698 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=11 November 2021}}{{cite news |title=The Liberty Times Editorial: NTHU shows enemy inside the gate |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/11/20/2003768166 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=20 November 2021}} In 2017, Wu was one of eight candidates during the initial round of voting for the presidency of National Taiwan University.{{cite news |last1=Lin |first1=Chia-nan |title=Academia Sinica denies swaying NTU president’s selection |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/11/21/2003682658 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=21 November 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |title=NTU academic wants total repeat of vote |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/09/26/2003701178 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=26 September 2018}} After education minister Pan Wen-chung drew attention to a "flawed" selection process that saw the election of Kuan Chung-ming to the post,{{cite news |title=Selection process for NTU president was flawed: education minister |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/201804290011 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=29 April 2018}} Wu announced his intention to withdraw from further votes if interference took place in the selection of Kuan.{{cite news |title=NTU objects to MOE's decision not to confirm Kuan as president |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/201804280008 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=28 April 2018}} and {{cite news |title=NTU objects to MOE's decision not to confirm Kuan as president(update) |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/201804280016 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=28 April 2018}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=NTU expresses regret over decision to block Kuan |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/04/29/2003692176 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=29 April 2018}}
Wu has been affiliated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute as head of its Information and Communications Research Laboratories,{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Lisa |title=Intel, ITRI announce research project |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2011/12/07/2003520092 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=7 December 2011}}{{cite news |title=ITRI unveils innovative remote-sensing technologies |url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=6&post=10351 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taiwan Today |date=5 July 2011}} as well as its vice president,{{cite news |title=ITRI makes IC technology breakthrough |url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=6&post=11389 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taiwan Today |date=26 December 2012}}{{cite news |title=ITRI, Intel unveil quicksilver memory technology |url=https://taiwantoday.tw/print.php?unit=6&post=11350 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taiwan Today |date=5 December 2012}} and later, senior vice president.{{cite news |last1=Chin |first1=Jonathan |title=ITRI touts graphite technology to draw water from the air |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/12/17/2003769746 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=Taipei Times |date=17 December 2021}}{{cite news |title=ITRI, Trumpf to establish laser application center |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sci-tech/202009020024 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=2 September 2020}}
Political career
At the time of his appointment as leader of the Executive Yuan's National Science and Technology Council on 16 April 2024, Wu was president of the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology.{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Christie |title=Economics minister, NDC chief among new Cabinet members announced |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202404160004 |access-date=16 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=16 April 2024}} Republished as: {{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Yun |last2=Madjar |first2=Kayleigh |title=New economics, digital ministers announced |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/04/16/2003816509 |work=Taipei Times |date=16 April 2024}}
In June 2024, Wu announced the government's proposal to extend the third phase of Taiwan's space development program.{{cite news|last=Nakhiengchanh|first=Michael|title=Taiwan to invest NT$40 billion in space budget|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5895346|work=Taiwan News|date=25 June 2024|access-date=4 July 2024}}
Wu undertook a trip to Silicon Valley in the United States in September 2024. The trip included a visit to Stanford University's Taiwan Science and Technology Hub and Nvidia.{{cite news|title= NSTC Minister continues US tour |url= https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2,6,10,15,18&post=258630|work=Taiwan Today|date=12 September 2024}} In November 2024, Wu referenced in an interview that the Taiwanese government will spend NT$98 billion (about US$3 billion) over three years on artificial intelligence data centers and other upgrades, while working to strengthen cooperation with the United States' incoming Trump administration.{{cite news|last=Chau|first=Thompson|title= Taiwan to invest $3bn to secure 'AI sovereignty,' tech czar says |url= https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Taiwan-to-invest-3bn-to-secure-AI-sovereignty-tech-czar-says|work=Nikkei|date=21 November 2024}}
In December 2024, Wu stated that the Taiwanese government was in talks with Amazon about collaborating for the company's Kuiper broadband satellites. According to Wu, bandwidth for the country's existing Eutelsat OneWeb satellite service was too small, and Taiwan had also considered working with other European and Canadian companies.{{cite news|title=Taiwan says it is in talks for Amazon's Kuiper internet satellite system|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/taiwan-says-it-is-talks-amazons-kuiper-internet-satellite-system-2024-12-17/|work=Reuters|date=17 December 2024|access-date=31 December 2024}} Wu also announced preparations for the "Chip Team Taiwan" initiative, which aimed to promote domestic production of drones, robotics, and other technologies and to reduce reliance on Chinese suppliers.{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Ai|title=Top tech, science official pledges to build 'Chip Team Taiwan'|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sci-tech/202412180021|work=Focus Taiwan|date=18 December 2024|access-date=31 December 2024}}
Honors and awards
Wu was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2004.
References
{{reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Cheng-wen}}
Category:Presidents of universities and colleges in Taiwan
Category:Academic staff of the National Tsing Hua University
Category:20th-century Taiwanese engineers
Category:21st-century Taiwanese engineers
Category:Scientists from Tainan
Category:National Taiwan University alumni
Category:Ministers of science and technology of Taiwan
Category:Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Tainan