Street lamps, traffic signals, and monitoring equipment may seem like the most ordinary infrastructure lining city streets — but with AI, 5G, and cloud technology in the mix, they can become critical nodes for sensing the environment, relaying data, and connecting services across an entire city. As smart cities shift from concept to reality, the "smart pole" is being redefined: no longer a single piece of hardware, but a foundational platform for integrating urban data and intelligent services.
The 2026 Taichung Smart Pole Forum will open on October 2. Going beyond technology applications alone, this forum places urban governance and industrial development in the same frame of reference, with "upgrading urban governance" and "fostering application opportunities" as its two core themes. It will explore how smart poles can serve as a critical platform for urban infrastructure and industrial chain integration.
Taichung's Diverse Landscape Makes Smart Poles The New Node For Urban Upgrade
Taichung offers a wide range of urban governance and industrial application scenarios. By further connecting governance needs with industrial capacity, smart poles stand not only to elevate the city's level of intelligence, but also to drive the development of Taiwan's broader smart city industry chain.
One of the forum's major highlights is its lineup of heavyweight speakers drawn from government governance, international cities, technology manufacturing, telecommunications, and AI cloud sectors. Their presence shifts the smart pole conversation well beyond hardware, extending into urban data, AI applications, 5G communications, and industrial ecosystem integration. Through cross-sector dialogue, the forum aims to help more industries and urban governance bodies recognize the smart pole's potential to evolve from a "device" to a "platform" — and from single-point application to city-wide integration.
International And Industry Heavyweights Gather To Explore The AI City Of Tomorrow
With a global outlook, the forum has extended a special invitation to Olivier Colaisseau, Mayor of Chanteloup-en-Brie, France, to share global smart city trends and digital governance experience, opening an international exchange lens for Taichung's smart city development.
From the industry side, Far EasTone Telecommunications President Chee Ching and ASUS Cloud & TWCC President Han-Chang Wu will bring frontline industry perspectives, while Pegatron Corporation Senior Vice President and CTO Chung-Ping Huang will share his experience in 5G smart pole system integration and deployment.
The closing panel discussion will bring together representatives from the Taichung City Government Transportation Bureau, Pegatron Corporation, Far EasTone Telecommunications, Taichung Seiki, and ASUS Cloud & TWCC to exchange views on AI, 5G, edge computing, smart governance, and industrial transformation — and to explore how smart poles can advance from isolated applications to city-scale integration, driving smart city and industrial upgrading.
From Sensing To Governance: Building New Momentum For Taichung's Smart City
Organized by the Taichung City Government Digital Development Bureau and executed by Feng Chia University and Storm Media, the forum uses cross-sector, cross-industry, and international exchange to move the smart pole conversation beyond a single device and into the broader realm of urban governance and industrial transformation. Starting from the smart pole, the event will explore how AI, 5G, and cloud technologies can be further woven into urban governance, injecting new momentum into the next phase of Taichung's urban transformation.
Event Date: Friday, October 2, 2026, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM (Registration begins at 1:00 PM)
Event Venue: Assembly Hall, 4th Floor, Taichung City Government New Municipal Building
Event Information: https://smartpole2026.taichung.gov.tw/
Registration: https://www.accupass.com/go/taichung5gsmartpole
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