Google Inc announced yesterday that it has begun recruiting local engineers for its local research and development [R&D] center which opened at the end of last month to boost the Internet search giant's presence in the region.
"We hope to integrate Taiwan's advantages and Google's powerful software technology and innovative culture to create world-class products," Chien Lee-feng (簡立峰), engineering director of the Google Taiwan R&D Center, said at a press conference yesterday.
Taiwanese advantages
Taiwan's Chinese data processing abilities, advanced capability in hardware development, mature communications environment, wide range of Internet applications and highly educated professionals were the factors which had prompted the world's largest Internet portal to set up its 12th overseas R&D center here, Chien said.
Chien said that the company had not placed any limits on how many employees it would recruit for the Google Taiwan R&D Center, and would net as many talented individuals as possible through a strict screening process. The local team would focus on developing search-related products catering to both local and international demand, he said.
Google will hold several recruiting seminars at National Taiwan University, Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University this week.
Providing localized services is one major task for the center, but the market is dominated by rival Yahoo-Kimo Inc (
In addition to offering search functions, Yahoo-Kimo runs the nation's largest online auction site and is a major portal for online shopping stores, communities and music stores. The site also serves as an information center that provides local stock market quotes, news and other data and has secured a massive number of local users.
Localization
"Localization is key for multinational companies to succeed in foreign markets," Rose Tsou (
Yahoo-Kimo also snatched a piece of the online search advertising market after it acquired Overture Services Inc in 2003, a company which places advertisers' names or products at the top of search results lists as "sponsored results."
Responding to a question on how Google plans to compete with Yahoo-Kimo, Lee Kai-fu (
User feedback suggested that the priority was for Google to create a friendly interface, Lee said. Unlike Yahoo-Kimo, Google would not enter the sponsored search result business, Lee said, as this would influence search precision.
Chien used the key word "NTU" as an example of how Google had already localized its various search portals. If you typed "NTU" into Taiwan's Google page, the result would be "National Taiwan University," while the same key word in Singapore would point to Nanyang Technological University, Chien said.
Providing Google services on mobile devices was a potential growth area in Taiwan, Lee said, given the large number of mobile phone users here. However, content, interface and bandwidth limitations would have to be overcome, and different users' habits would have to be taken into account, he said.
Meanwhile, Lee denied speculation that Google would release a Web-based operating system, saying the company would not develop the product "unless it was needed."
DIVIDED VIEWS: Although the Fed agreed on holding rates steady, some officials see no rate cuts for this year, while 10 policymakers foresee two or more cuts There are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady at a range of 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday, as they await clarity on whether tariffs would leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it is still unclear how much of the bill would fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
Meta Platforms Inc offered US$100 million bonuses to OpenAI employees in an unsuccessful bid to poach the ChatGPT maker’s talent and strengthen its own generative artificial intelligence (AI) teams, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said. Facebook’s parent company — a competitor of OpenAI — also offered “giant” annual salaries exceeding US$100 million to OpenAI staffers, Altman said in an interview on the Uncapped with Jack Altman podcast released on Tuesday. “It is crazy,” Sam Altman told his brother Jack in the interview. “I’m really happy that at least so far none of our best people have decided to take them
PLANS: MSI is also planning to upgrade its service center in the Netherlands Micro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星) yesterday said it plans to set up a server assembly line at its Poland service center this year at the earliest. The computer and peripherals manufacturer expects that the new server assembly line would shorten transportation times in shipments to European countries, a company spokesperson told the Taipei Times by telephone. MSI manufactures motherboards, graphics cards, notebook computers, servers, optical storage devices and communication devices. The company operates plants in Taiwan and China, and runs a global network of service centers. The company is also considering upgrading its service center in the Netherlands into a