Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday said it is building a large artificial intelligence (AI) manufacturing facility in Mexico to produce servers based on Nvidia Corp’s GB200 chips.
The company would utilize as much capacity as possible to match strong market demand for AI servers, Hon Hai chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) said at “Hon Hai Tech Day” at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
Last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) told Bloomberg News that demand for the company’s new Blackwell chips has been “insane.”
Photo: CNA
GB200 is the first Blackwell chip.
“We are building a massive factory in Mexico. That is a very special factory with tremendous capacity,” Liu said. “Jensen’s perspective about supply/demand will determine our capacity utilization plan.”
The plant in Guadalajara would be the world’s largest manufacturing facility for GB200 servers, Hon Hai said.
Photo: CNA
The company uses Nvidia’s AI tool, Omniverse, to build models and simulate performance to obtain accurate results before the servers’ physical deployment, it said.
Hon Hai, which produces 40 percent of the world’s servers, would “be the first” to ship GB200 AI servers, given its robust integrated manufacturing capabilities, Liu said.
Up to 90 percent of the key components used to build GB200 servers are made by Hon Hai, excluding semiconductors such as central processing units and graphic processing units, he said.
A majority of server components used in liquid cooling systems, advanced switches, boards and racks are made within the group, he added.
The company’s strong integrated manufacturing capabilities enable Hon Hai to secure close partnerships with Nvidia in developing next-generation AI chips, Liu said, responding to a reporter’s question about whether the Taiwanese firm would produce new servers equipped with Nvidia’s next-generation GB300 chips next year.
Hon Hai also talked about “sovereignty servers,” a term originated from “sovereignty AI,” to address national security and data protection concerns.
To cope with demand for secure systems, AI servers would be made domestically or in an adjacent region for the nation that orders such products, Liu said.
Hon Hai, the world’s largest electronics manufacturing services provider, operates more than 200 manufacturing sites across 24 countries.
At the tech event, Hon Hai unveiled two new electric vehicles — the multipurpose vehicle Model D and minivan Model U.
The company also demonstrated a new concept car, the Model A, which is smaller than the Model D and designed as an “affordable” electric vehicle for the mass market, it said.
Hon Hai also showcased a new version of its Model C passenger vehicle for North American customers, which would enter volume production by the end of next year at the company’s factory in Ohio.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College