US-based chip designer Qualcomm Inc is to open a new operations center in Taiwan early next year as part of its commitment to invest in the country over the next five years.
Qualcomm senior vice president and president of its Asia-Pacific and India operations Jim Cathey on Friday last week said that the company is to set up a Center for Operations, Manufacturing Engineering and Testing in Taiwan as a hub for the firm to extend its reach overseas.
SUPPORT FOR TAIWAN
Qualcomm has built close business ties with Taiwan and setting up a local operations hub demonstrates the company’s strong support for the nation in wireless communications development, which it expects to deepen the relationship, Cathey said.
However, no details were provided on the center’s location or the financial terms for the investment.
The announcement came after Qualcomm and the Fair Trade Commission on Aug. 10 reached a settlement over an antitrust dispute that saw the company pay a NT$2.73 billion (US$88.69 million at the current exchange rate) fine — considerably lower than the record NT$23.4 billion initially imposed by the commission in October last year — and pledge to invest US$700 million in Taiwan over the next five years.
DETERMINATION TO GROW
Taiwan has a well-developed semiconductor industry, which has served as a center for providing upstream microchips for the supply chain in the Asian region, Qualcomm said
The planned hub shows the company’s determination to grow with Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and build a 5G ecosystem in the country, it said.
Qualcomm said it would soon launch a recruitment campaign for the operations hub.
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