Another highlight of Taiwan’s PC development is the laptop computer, which required more sophisticated manufacturing and design skills due to its smaller and lighter characteristics. To quickly boost these capabilities in the computer industry, ITRI and 46 manufacturers formed the Taiwan Notebook Consortium in 1990 and set up a standard division of labor within the industry. Within a year after the establishment of the consortium, Taiwan successfully developed laptops and impressed the world with them at Comdex. Although the consortium disbanded later and manufacturers began to independently develop their own products, professionals from this group carried and disseminated the technology into the industry and sowed the seeds of Taiwan’s laptop development.

Moreover, ITRI contributed to the establishment of the laptop supply chain. In 1997, ITRI developed filling and packaging technologies for micro heat pipes, assisting Nidec Chaun-Choung Technology Corporation in setting up Taiwan’s first fully-automated micro heat pipe production line. ITRI also helped the company design and conduct simulation analysis of laptop thermal module, supporting it to become Taiwan’s largest supplier of the module with over a quarter of domestic demand. In 2008, ITRI sold relevant patents to Acer via patent cooperation, enabling Acer to counterclaim the infringement lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the US. The two parties eventually reached a settlement which secured Acer’s foothold in the US and global markets. From the consortium and component manufacturing to IP patents, ITRI continues to work with Taiwan’s industries to maintain strong shares in the global laptop market. In 2009, the Taipei Computer Association launched the Patent Cooperation and Cross-Licensing Alliance for the Information and Communications Industry. According to its Chairman Jeng-Tang Wang, the purpose of this alliance was to leverage ITRI’s resources to assist Taiwanese ICT companies in responding promptly to patent-related challenges from international competitors in the face of growing international competition.