Sinying Sugar Factory to Become Smart Robot Hub, Building Industrial 'Golden Triangle'

Tainan City Government is repurposing the Sinying Sugar Factory into a pioneering center for smart robots, aiming to boost local development and meet regional expectations. This initiative, part of an inter-departmental project, designates the factory as a forward base for the display, testing, and education of intelligent robotics.

The goal is to establish the Sinying Sugar Factory as a key component of a "smart robot industry golden triangle." This will serve as a hub for system integration and talent training. Mayor Huang Wei-che stated that the city government will seek central government support and collaborate with private entities like Taiwan Sugar Corporation to transform the factory site into an economic core that blends historical depth with industrial dynamism.

Recognizing the urgent national demand for robots, the 18-hectare Sinying Sugar Factory site is being positioned as an immediate asset for the robotics industry. It will facilitate pilot production and validation, offering services for smart robot demonstrations, talent education, testing, corporate showcases, and investment attraction. This will complement the mass production capabilities at the Liuying Science Park, application development at the ITRI's Liujia campus, and the national smart robot research center in Shalun, creating a vital outpost for the industry's "golden triangle."

Mayor Huang emphasized that the Sinying Sugar Factory possesses both industrial zoning and valuable sugar industry heritage. The 29-hectare site, located in the heart of Sinying, has been rezoned through urban planning to include dedicated areas for industrial culture, sugar industry culture, and preservation. The city plans to work with the central government and Taiwan Sugar Corporation to integrate high-tech industries with cultural heritage and recreational spaces, leveraging the unique sugar industry legacy while introducing smart robot displays and services.

Chang Ting-yuan, Director of the Bureau of Economic Development, noted that Tainan already has research and application bases for its robotics industry and is promoting the expansion of the Liuying Science Park to create a production cluster. The inclusion of the Sinying Sugar Factory in the robotics industry's "golden triangle" is crucial for future development. It will provide a practical training ground for research teams and offer smart robot demonstrations and public services. Chang added that the factory's location, "just outside the factory is the city," with ample surrounding transportation, education, and medical resources, will also encourage talent to settle in Sinying long-term.

The city government plans to actively seek central government funding and strengthen coordination with Taiwan Sugar Corporation through public-private partnerships to revitalize idle land. Short-term plans include preliminary planning, followed by the establishment of a demonstration museum and the launch of testing facilities in the medium term. Long-term goals involve completing permanent exhibition spaces and business services. The ultimate aim is for the Sinying Sugar Factory to become the nation's leading "physical AI" demonstration and testing ground, as well as a commercial front-end base, filling the final gap in the central government's smart robot policy from research and manufacturing to on-site application.