AI’s $1.3 Trillion Future Increasingly Hinges on Taiwan

When Jung Yoonseok was looking for an assembly partner for his AI chip startup, he had his pick of almost any country in Asia, including his native South Korea. Instead, the Rebellions strategy chief opted for Taiwan because of what he sees as an unparalleled combination of talent, cost and speed.

“Taiwan is small, and Taipei is small, and in that small area everything moves super fast,” the 35-year-old Harvard graduate said after one of his trips to secure production.

Jung reached the same conclusion as thousands of businesses, executives and entrepreneurs who rely on the island to turn their ...