Investments pledged for Taiwan grew about 25 percent this year, showing that the government’s efforts to attract investments from foreign and local firms have paid off, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said on Wednesday.
A total NT$2.24 trillion (US$72.72 billion) in investments were pledged between Jan. 1 and Tuesday, up from NT$1.79 trillion last year, Kung said, citing Ministry of Economic Affairs data.
The amount comes from 227 projects, each valued at more than NT$500 million, the ministry said.
Investments pledged by foreign investors totaled NT$504.90 billion, up 23.29 percent, while locally pledged investments grew 25.5 percent to NT$1.73 trillion, the data showed.
Investment growth picked up this year, Kung said, adding that he expects the trend to continue next year.
Investors paid close attention to the semiconductor sector after the government launched the “five plus two” innovative industries plan to establish Taiwan as an “Asian Silicon Valley,” Kung said.
Investors have gone beyond IC design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, to enter IC production equipment and upstream IC raw materials development, he said.
Investments in the semiconductor industry included a production equipment manufacturing center built by US-based Applied Materials Inc in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) and US Air Products and Chemicals Inc’s industrial gas production site in the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), the data showed.
In addition, Taiwanese memorychip maker Winbond Electronics Corp (華邦電) is investing NT$335 billion to expand its production capacity in southern Taiwan, the data showed.
The “five plus two” industries refer to seven development projects proposed by the government to transform the Taiwan’s economic and industrial structure.
In addition to the Asian Silicon Valley project, the program also refers to biotech-related projects, green energy, smart machinery, the defense industry, innovative agriculture and the circular economy.
Kung said he expects investments in green energy to grow next year as a government push for renewable energy development continues, while tech giants such as Microsoft Corp and Google are expected to pledge investments in Taiwan to establish artificial intelligence and training centers.
The ministry has asked its overseas offices to focus on finding new investments, he added.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
RSS