Taipei Blockchain Week 2023, themed 'Scale,' unfolded at the picturesque Songshan Cultural & Creative Park, No. 133, Guangfu S Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan, spanning the week of December 11-16, 2023. The seven-day event covered a three-day hackathon, a two-day SCALE' conference, and a one-day She SCALES Summit. 

The event delved into the hottest topics in Web 3, such as artificial intelligence, zero-knowledge proofs, real-world assets (RWA) in crypto, and more.

Main Events

Participants dived into the innovative convergence of AI and Blockchain at the Taipei Blockchain Week Hackathon‚ a three-day in-person event for forward-thinking developers. It featured immersive workshops guided by world-class experts in AI and Blockchain. 

• Hackathon

"Crossroads" is a three-day hackathon featuring engaging workshops guided by world-class experts in AI and blockchain. Over 400 builders attended the event resulting in the development of more than 50 different projects, as reported in the official Taipei Blockchain Week Telegram group. The highlight of the event was the final demo day, where the top 14 teams showcased their creativity and competed for prizes amounting to over $55,000 USD (approximately $1.6 million NTD).

Prominent Layer 1 protocols, including Sui, BNB Chain, Avalanche, and Mina Protocol, played a pivotal role in the hackathon. As event sponsors, they delivered insightful talks and offered valuable guidance to participants throughout the hackathon journey. 

• 'Scale' Conference

The 'Scale' Conference unfolded as a dynamic two-day event featuring an impressive lineup of over 200 speakers. The conference comprised two stages: a general stage, fostering discussions on overarching Web3 themes, and a tech stage, delving into blockchain-specific and developer-centric topics. Among the notable speakers was Richard Teng, the newly appointed CEO of Binance, who emphasized crypto's growth and current regulatory landscape. 

Ethereum's visionary, Vitalik Buterin, likened Ethereum's trajectory to a programmable and general-purpose blockchain, in contrast to Bitcoin's specialized nature. He envisioned blockchain as akin to open-source software with a shared hard drive, fostering open collaboration online. Like social institutions with "hardness" but on the internet, blockchains are designed to be inclusive and to cater to all individuals, even those with differing opinions. 

In this decentralized space, one can build tools rather than empires, and true success involves contributing to a broader ecosystem rather than seeking to dominate it. To quote Vitalik, let us, "build tools, not empires."

• She Scales' Summit

The She 'Scales' Summit, held under the theme "Women Powering Tech, Web3, and Beyond," is a conference dedicated to spotlighting the accomplishments and expertise of women in the field. Departing from gender-centric perspectives, the summit celebrates women's contributions, aiming to inspire a transformative shift by emphasizing the profound impact of women's leadership and innovation. 

Chezka Gonzales, the Founder of Philippine Blockchain Technologies Inc. and Philippine Blockchain Week, played a significant role in the event as a panelist for the topic "DAOs and Web3 Innovation: Women Pioneers Shaping the Future of Blockchain-Based Organizations." Other distinguished panelists, included Nicole Nguyen, co-founder of APAC DAO, Vivian Chen, a founding member of Da0, and panel moderator Laura Nguyen, the Head of Vietnam for Ava Labs.

Side Events

To top it off, various official side events took place all over Taiwan for more than a week. Perhaps one of the main reasons why the official event lasted for 5 days was to give room for participants to attend these side events and discover the unique synergy of Taiwanese culture and Web3. 

Taipei Blockchain Week 2023 exemplified the intersection of AI and blockchain technologies. With the hackathon, conferences, and various side events, this week-long event certainly left a mark on the future landscape of Web3, redefining possibilities and pushing the boundaries of innovation.