NTU HIGHLIGHTS

Located in a spacious area equipped with a conference room, work desks, sofas, and dining area – here is the AI Research Center jointly established by the Civil Engineering Department at National Taiwan University and the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NTUCE-NCREE). Professors and researchers frequently gather here to advance research projects combining engineering and AI, and representatives from industry also visit periodically to discuss how research findings can be applied in practical engineering projects.

Globally, the integration of AI and engineering is still in its infancy, and the NTUCE-NCREE AI Research Center is at the forefront of this evolving research landscape. Research topics span various areas, including quality inspection of reinforcement, polymer material design, and the generation of professional engineering documentation. Historically, these fields heavily relied on engineers’ prerequisite knowledge and extensive accumulated experience. Looking ahead, while prerequisite knowledge will remain essential, less experienced engineers can now also benefit from experience facilitated by AI tools.

These AI research efforts require various infrastructures that are too expensive for individual research teams to cover alone. Therefore, one of the major functions of the NTUCE-NCREE AI Research Center is to provide engineering scholars with shared access to this required equipment and facilities. Furthermore, the Center serves as a hub, fostering various industrial–academic collaborations, providing a foundation for researchers to focus on advancing technology, while the industry assumes responsibility for implementing and applying the technology.

Moreover, the NTUCE-NCREE AI Research Center offers an interdisciplinary PhD program in “AI Applications in Engineering.” Professors also teach undergraduate introductory courses focusing on the prerequisites for AI skills for engineers.

By attracting talent to the industry and demonstrating the effectiveness of AI in engineering, the Center aims to enhance compensation for talent, thereby attracting more students to the field.