Initiated by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, and Taiwan Information Service Industry Association, and joined by 50 Taiwanese communications service enterprises, the Taiwan Cloud Computing Consortium has been established to improve Taiwan’s competitiveness in the global cloud computing market.

Lu Shyue-ching, director of TCCC and chairman of Chunghwa Telecom, predicted that by 2012, the total output of the global cloud computing industry is expected to reach USD409.6 billion, including USD100 billion from the consumer service sector and USD200 billion from the commercial service sector.

Lu said that the establishment of the consortium aims to promote the development of cloud computing software and three types of cloud computing applications: infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, and software as a service. The move will help Taiwan become an innovation base for cloud computing technologies.

According to the Taiwanese media, the government in Taiwan recently published its support four major technology projects, with cloud computing ranked first. The government plans to invest NTD10.09 billion in the next five years to promote the construction of cloud computing infrastructures, platforms, and services.

In February 2010, Chunghwa Telecom, Trend Micro, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry announced plans jointly set up a cloud computing center and will invest NTD1 billion to establish a cloud computing business.