TAIPEI (CNA) -- The exhibition center of a new robotics hub opened Friday at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) in Taichung, part of an effort to achieve six major goals using the hub as a platform for the robotics industry.

"This hub will serve as a platform for the future development of the robotics industry," Science and Technology Minister Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said at the official opening ceremony of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robotics Hub at the CTSP, which was established last year.

According to Chen, his ministry will allocate NT$2 billion (US$6.78 million) to set up several robotics bases at the CTSP and the Southern Taiwan Science Park over a four-year period, with the aim of setting up 50 start-up businesses, attracting 600 teams to base themselves there, training 4,000 workers, producing 45 robotics application programs, accomplishing 30 key technologies/products and creating 1,450 jobs for technical experts.

Products related to robotics will be showcased at the exhibition center in the future to provide an ideal co-working space for manufacturers.

Describing Taichung in central Taiwan as "a city of intelligent machinery," Chen said the robotics hub at the CTSP, with the unlimited imagination of young makers, will help the local robotics industry integrate seamlessly with the rest of the world.

Chen Ming-huang (陳銘煌), director-general of the CTSP administration, said the robotics hub will make Taichung, which is already a cluster of precision and intelligent machinery businesses, more comprehensive and accessible for them.

The center is scheduled to host in a near future a robotic simulation race which will see students from eight high schools competing against each other, he said.