TAIPEI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it will invest one billion new Taiwan dollars (about 34 million U.S. dollars) to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) R&D Center in Taiwan.

Ken Sun, general manager of Microsoft Taiwan, said the company will foster a team of more than 100 people for the center in the coming two years, and will train or hire more than 200 AI researchers and developers within five years.

According to Sun, the center will focus on an intent-based Chinese intelligent input method, Swiftkey, and Audience Intent Recognition. These two projects will help enhance Chinese AI technology and Microsoft cognitive services.

In addition, Microsoft will open some of its AI technology for internal use as a bench-marking enterprise, to understand the application needs of the industry and assist enterprises to transform and restructure with AI.

Feedback from the enterprises can help develop an AI application model which can be transferred to other enterprises in the same industry.