Host Wenchi Yu speaks with former Google Taiwan HR head Vanessa Lu about how the AI race has three interconnected layers: infrastructure—chips, energy, data centers, and supply chains; models—the research and engineering talent behind AI systems; and products—the devices and markets that bring AI into everyday life.

Vanessa recounts how Google chose Taiwan as its first data-center location in Asia more than a decade ago, drawn by the island’s dense technology ecosystem, strong ICT supply chain, fast and collaborative engineering culture, and ability to rapidly assemble the components needed to test and scale cloud infrastructure.

Asia is the future of AI not only because it is home to roughly two-thirds of the world’s population, but because it combines young, technology-ready consumers, optimism toward AI adoption, deep manufacturing capabilities, expanding data-center capacity, and increasingly mobile global talent. Taiwan anchors advanced-chip manufacturing and hardware integration; India provides deep engineering talent and rapid infrastructure growth; Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Thailand, offers scalable data-center development and receptive markets; while China adds exceptional scale, talent, and speed of adoption. The United States and Europe remain vital hubs for frontier research, but Asia’s full-stack ecosystem—from energy and chips to models, products, and users—will be central to determining how AI develops and who benefits from it.

00:00 — Introducing Vanessa Liu and AI’s hidden infrastructure story

01:30 — Inside Google Taiwan: HTC integration, COVID, and the AI boom

02:20 — The ChatGPT moment and tech’s new sense of urgency

05:00 — How Google responded: from leadership signals to company-wide action

06:30 — Why AI is more than models: infrastructure, computing, and supply chains

07:50 — The three layers of AI: infrastructure, models, and products

08:55 — Why Taiwan became central to AI infrastructure

09:40 — Why Google chose Taiwan for its first Asian data center

12:00 — Taiwan’s technology ecosystem and culture of rapid experimentation

12:40 — Google’s HTC integration and Taiwan’s rise as an R&D hub

15:00 — Taiwan, China, and the competition for hardware and talent

16:40 — Asia’s role in Google’s long-term AI strategy

17:00 — Why Asia is the future: population, youth, and AI optimism

19:00 — India, Malaysia, and Thailand: scaling data centers across Asia

20:30 — India’s engineering talent and AI-product development

21:30 — Asia as the market for AI products, devices, and adoption

22:40 — How Asia’s full-stack AI ecosystem compares with the U.S. and Europe

24:00 — Go-to-market investment: Japan, Singapore, Australia, and beyond

25:00 — China’s AI ecosystem: scale, talent, and consumer adoption

27:00 — Taiwan–China talent flows and new opportunities in AI

28:10 — Taiwan’s push to attract global technology talent

29:00 — The AI race beyond models: talent, infrastructure, partnerships, and products

Perspectives with Wenchi Yu

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