TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Friday, May 8, 2026 — In an exclusive interview, Deputy City Manager Seth Yurman of the City of Peachtree Corners outlines why Taiwan's precision manufacturers are the ideal U.S. market partners — and how GeoAsia Foundation's C.Y. Huang is turning that thesis into a structured cross-Pacific deployment platform.
TAIPEI — The week of April 8, 2026, saw heightened activity in Taiwan's technology circles, with a Taiwan–U.S. startup cooperation forum, discussions on outbound investment, and the American Institute in Taiwan's commercial office engaging industry leaders. Into that moment came Seth Yurman, Deputy City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Georgia — delivering a clear pitch to Taiwan's precision manufacturers: the best U.S. market entry may lie beyond Silicon Valley.
The 'Silicon Orchard' Proposition
Yurman represented Peachtree Corners — a suburb of Atlanta whose city government owns and operates the Curiosity Lab, a 200-acre smart city testbed within its Technology Park. During his visit, he engaged universities, industry associations, and Taiwanese firms to promote a "real-world deployment" model for robotics and smart tech.
In an interview on April 8, 2026, Yurman stressed practical entry factors: swift local approvals, manufacturing-ready infrastructure, reliable 5G, and strong IP enforcement. He positioned Peachtree Corners as the "Silicon Orchard" — lower costs than California, direct city oversight via board seats on the Technology Park, and tailored support for newcomers. "Think of it as big fish, small sea."
"Taiwan's precision manufacturing sector is America's best possible industrial partner. Our open, real-world environment is where Taiwanese robotics startups cross the critical bridge from 'walk' to 'run'."
— Seth Yurman, Deputy City Manager, City of Peachtree Corners
A Living Laboratory, Not a Test Track
Curiosity Lab offers three miles of public roadway in a live urban setting — enabling autonomous vehicles and robotics to test amid real traffic (65,000 vehicles daily), residents, and logistics. This bridges R&D ("Crawl") to scalability ("Run") via "Walk" — real deployment with partners like UPS and T-Mobile. Tenants include U.S. giants (UPS) and European firms from Germany (Siemens), Czech Republic, and Portugal, accelerating market entry.
AIT Endorsement Highlights Strategic Impact
AIT Commercial Chief Janée Pierre-Louis, speaking at the April 8 forum, underscored the event's pivotal role in linking Taiwan's robotics leaders with U.S. opportunities, calling automation a "priority sector" amid growing demand for advanced manufacturing. She praised Georgia Tech's research excellence and Curiosity Lab's real-world testbed as ideal for Taiwanese firms to "shorten their learning curve, find partners faster, and scale more quickly," explicitly endorsing the Taiwan Robotics Hub as an "exciting" cross-border ecosystem. This official backing elevates Peachtree Corners from regional showcase to validated U.S. gateway, signaling diplomatic momentum for Taiwan's precision industry expansion.
GeoAsia Foundation: The Structural Bridge
GeoAsia Foundation Chairman C.Y. Huang orchestrated Yurman's visit, building Taiwan-Georgia ties. Huang envisions alignment in robotics, AVs, smart transport, and drones, leveraging Curiosity Lab's U.S. operator networks.
The Taiwan Robotics Hub integrates RoboTaichung with Peachtree Corners to anchor Taichung's machinery sector in a cross-Pacific cluster — backed by 20+ organizations. On April 10, Tunghai University's Smart Carbon Neutral Park signed a strategic MOU with Curiosity Lab, brokered by GeoAsia, covering sustainable energy, AI, and smart tech.money.
The Week's Wider Signal
AIT and former NDC presence at the April 8 forum signaled policy momentum for Taiwan's U.S. expansion beyond semiconductors. Peachtree Corners, via GeoAsia's framework, offers a blueprint — with RoboTaichung, the Hub, and Tunghai MOU as first milestones.