On June 10, Tunghai University and Georgia Tech signed three strategic cooperation agreements:
- Tunghai University, Georgia Tech, and the Asia Bridge Education Foundation will jointly establish an Open Innovation Platform (OIP).
- Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) signed an international course authorization agreement with Tunghai University’s Extension Division.
- The Asia Bridge Education Foundation and Tunghai’s Extension Division signed an agreement to promote courses and build an achievement exhibition center—forming a complete chain covering R&D, teaching, practical application, and outreach.
The planned park will feature five main functional areas:
- AI R&D Application Center
- Smart Manufacturing Experimental Production Line
- Smart Logistics Simulation Space
- Cross-domain OIP Innovation Lab
- Achievement Exhibition Center
Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-Hsin remarked that this collaboration between Tunghai and Georgia Tech marks the beginning of Taichung’s transformation into a capital of AI robotics. The city government will invite more companies and academic institutions to join in developing experimental smart manufacturing zones and creating education content and industry applications.
Jameson, Executive Director for Asia-Pacific at Georgia Tech, noted that both the U.S. government and the state of Georgia value their connections with Taiwan. Especially with the potential return of Trump-era “MAGA” policies, building a “Taiwan–U.S. academic-industry bridge” will be a key priority.
Professor Benoit Montreuil—renowned as the “Father of the Physical Internet”—visited Taiwan and gave a keynote speech sharing forward-looking trends in smart logistics and physical AI. Future courses will be built around themes in “smart manufacturing and logistics.”
Tunghai University President Chang Kuo-En stated:
“This is more than a contract signing—it is a structural international education innovation experiment.”
Tunghai will not only export talent but also import world-class curricula and resources, creating real global connections in Taiwan’s education landscape.
Alumnus Kenneth Huang echoed this, saying that the three parties are investing not just in a physical park, but in “a scalable and actionable educational innovation model,” covering everything from resource integration and space construction to curriculum advancement—aiming to build a talent training platform that truly aligns with industry needs and enhances global competitiveness.
Tunghai and Georgia Tech also plan to launch a Physical Internet (PI) Architect Certification Program, co-designed by Georgia Tech’s PI team and the Asia Bridge Foundation. The program aims to train key designers and decision-makers capable of managing decentralized supply chains, ESG strategies, and low-carbon transformation challenges.
Jameson emphasized this is GTPE’s first university collaboration in Asia. The program integrates online learning, in-person instruction, project implementation, and final presentations. It will be implemented across both Georgia Tech and Tunghai campuses. It’s tailored for corporate CXOs, CTOs, policymakers, and logistics executives. The program will also incorporate real-life case scenarios provided by Taiwanese companies. Georgia Tech and Tunghai will also exchange faculty and graduate students for research projects.
