Amazon.com Inc has extended the operations of its Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the Asia-Pacific region by expanding the services’ “Regions” coverage to Taiwan, the company announced yesterday.
As part of that commitment, Amazon could invest US$5 billion in Taiwan to support the construction, connection, operations and maintenance of data centers, the company said.
AWS Infrastructure Services vice president Prasad Kalyanaraman in a statement said that the Regions expansion to Taiwan would enable start-ups, developers and non-governmental organizations to use AWS’ on-demand information technology Web services.
Photo: AP
Those services include cloud computing storage, databases and even more advanced analytic utilities, as well as artificial intelligence.
Active customers in Taiwan include 104 Corp (104人力銀行), Acer Inc (宏碁), Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控), Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and many others, Amazon said.
Kalyanaraman said that organizations in Taiwan and other Asia-Pacific locations could join millions of clients in enjoying the speed of the services that is integral to increasing the pace of innovation, quality of operations and cultivation of sales for end users.
THAILAND ADDED
The worldwide network of AWS Regions includes 117 availability zones spanning 37 geographic locations.
Taiwan and Thailand have become the latest Regions additions to AWS services in the Asia-Pacific region, joining the likes of Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Malaysia, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Beijing.
AWS Regions are made up of various availability zones that use infrastructure independent from one another, each working with its own power, cooling system and security protocols.
Taiwan’s three availability zones, for example, are far enough apart to provide a network to a large number of clients and are also close enough to operate in tandem at high efficiency and limited delays.
INTERNATIONAL SCALE
In Taipei, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) thanked Amazon in a statement and said that the extension of the services to Taiwan demonstrated the nation’s importance as an integral member of the global supply chain.
He said he looked forward to seeing Taiwan’s information technology capabilities integrate with AWS to advance the world’s digital ecosystem and contribute to the progress of technological development at an international scale.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
Popular vape brands such as Geek Bar might get more expensive in the US — if you can find them at all. Shipments of vapes from China to the US ground to a near halt last month from a year ago, official data showed, hit by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarettes in the world’s biggest market for smoking alternatives. That includes Geek Bar, a brand of flavored vapes that is not authorized to sell in the US, but which had been widely available due to porous import controls. One retailer, who asked not to be named, because
SEASONAL WEAKNESS: The combined revenue of the top 10 foundries fell 5.4%, but rush orders and China’s subsidies partially offset slowing demand Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) further solidified its dominance in the global wafer foundry business in the first quarter of this year, remaining far ahead of its closest rival, Samsung Electronics Co, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. TSMC posted US$25.52 billion in sales in the January-to-March period, down 5 percent from the previous quarter, but its market share rose from 67.1 percent the previous quarter to 67.6 percent, TrendForce said in a report. While smartphone-related wafer shipments declined in the first quarter due to seasonal factors, solid demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) devices and urgent TV-related orders
MINERAL DIPLOMACY: The Chinese commerce ministry said it approved applications for the export of rare earths in a move that could help ease US-China trade tensions Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) is today to meet a US delegation for talks in the UK, Beijing announced on Saturday amid a fragile truce in the trade dispute between the two powers. He is to visit the UK from yesterday to Friday at the invitation of the British government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. He and US representatives are to cochair the first meeting of the US-China economic and trade consultation mechanism, it said. US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that a new round of trade talks with China would start in London beginning today,
RSS