Google yesterday got the go-ahead to invest NT$26 billion (US$850.45 million) to build a second data center in Taiwan, a month after the US Internet giant announced a land purchase plan, the Investment Commission said yesterday.
It is the second-largest investment plan by a foreign enterprise this year, next to Micron Technology Inc’s NT$66 billion, which was approved in August, commission spokeswoman Yang Shu-ling (楊淑玲) said by telephone.
Google’s investment would finance “the expansion of the group’s existing investment activities in Taiwan and the expansion of its operation and equipment procurement for its data centers,” the commission said in a statement.
The investment is to be made via a Virgin Islands-registered affiliate, Kohl Holdings Ltd, the statement said.
Google’s first data center, established on 15 hectares in Changhua County and opened in 2013, is its largest in Asia.
The commission also approved an application from Orsted Wind Power TW Holding A/S to invest an additional NT$12 billion into its local unit to fund construction of wind farms off the coast of Changhua County.
Three other applications by foreign firms were approved: Pure Current Inc is to invest NT$1.5 billion to create a local unit to produce hydrogen fuel cells; Yokohama Hakkeijima Inc is to pour in NT$375 million to build an aquarium in Taoyuan; and Daiwa House Industry Co is to invest NT$727 million to finance a major real-estate project in Kaohsiung.
The commission also approved outbound investments by three Taiwanese firms: Global Union Industrial Corp’s (成霖企業) US$60 million proposal to manufacture bathroom products in Mexico; Kinpo Electronics Inc’s (金寶電子) US$85 million request to replenish the operating capital of its Virgin Islands unit; and ASE Technology Holding Co’s (日月光投控) US$97.75 million plan to buy back a 30 percent stake in Suzhou ASEN Semiconductors Co (蘇州日月新半導體) from China’s Tsinghua Unigroup (紫光集團).
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