Hewlett-Packard Co is setting up a global research and development (R&D) center in Taiwan, and expects to churn out computer and mobile devices such as its prospective iPad-killer, the HP Slate.
The center, called the Computing Hub, will cost NT$3.6 billion (US$112.5 million) over three years and is expected to procure US$30 billion in electronics components from Taiwanese companies each year within that period, according to sources familiar with the deal.
“The center will set its focus on computer products, determining the design of HP Slate and related multi-touch applications,” sources said.
Other products in the R&D pipeline for the Computing Hub include 3D visual technologies for mobile products, while the US tech giant will work with local suppliers for special shutter glasses.
Personal cloud computing will also be a key theme for the center, where HP will develop related infrastructure and share know-how with Taiwanese contract makers, the sources said.
Kai Hsiao (蕭國坤), HP Taiwan’s procurement head, confirmed yesterday that the company has initiated a three-year program to set up an R&D center in Taiwan.
He would not comment on the specifics or amount, but said the center would play a critical role for HP’s global R&D.
“This project will put our Taiwan site in a strategic position for HP’s global R&D operations,” he said, adding that the center would be the largest R&D project in terms of investment in Taiwan’s tech industry.
He said PC, handset and server products would be the key focuses for the Computing Hub.
“Innovation will be the key to the Computing Hub. It won’t carry out R&D for middle or low-end products. The center will also join hands with Taiwan’s academia,” he said.
HP is not alone in boosting investment in Taiwan to tap into the local tech supply chain and its growing trade ties with China following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Another US firm, Super Micro Computer Inc, a leader in storage and server manufacturing, will also spend more than US$100 million to set up its Asia-Pacific operation center in Taiwan.
The company will recruit up to 4,000 staff members to run the center, which will include logistical, manufacturing and R&D functions.
“The company is facing high labor costs at its research site in Silicon Valley. Moving to Taiwan will help it cut costs and it could also take advantage of the ample resources of the tech supply chain here,” sources said.
Its operation center will be located in Bade (八德), Taoyuan County.
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
‘BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS’: The US military’s aim is to continue to make any potential Chinese invasion more difficult than it already is, US General Ronald Clark said The likelihood of China invading Taiwan without contest is “very, very small” because the Taiwan Strait is under constant surveillance by multiple countries, a US general has said. General Ronald Clark, commanding officer of US Army Pacific (USARPAC), the US Army’s largest service component command, made the remarks during a dialogue hosted on Friday by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked by the event host what the Chinese military has learned from its US counterpart over the years, Clark said that the first lesson is that the skill and will of US service members are “unmatched.” The second
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS