A business recruitment event for a planned science park in Kaohsiung's Qiaotou District drew over 100 interested companies and nearly 300 participants Wednesday. Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hsu Yu-chin were on hand to witness the signing of investment letters of intent by such major players as Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), Yageo, Brogent Technologies, Wah Hong Industrial, ThinTech Materials Technology, Top High Image and Longwalk Biotech. This first wave of investment in the planned site is expected to generated NT$180 billion (US$6 billion) in annual production value while creating 11,000 attractive job opportunities.
International heavyweights including Google, Amazon, and large semiconductor and 5G smart manufacturing companies are already investing in Taiwan because the nation is looking to become the world's strongest high-end manufacturing center within 10, 20 or even five years, Vice Premier Chen said. In southern Taiwan, for instance, an ecosystem for the semiconductor industry has taken shape in the stretch from Tainan to Kaohsiung cities. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is constructing a 5-nanometer wafer fabrication facility in Tainan, with plans to break ground on a 3-nanometer fab there next year. Winbond Electronics has facilities in the Luzhu Science Park, while ASE—the world's strongest, most competitive company in integrated circuit packaging and testing—has established a presence in Kaohsiung as well.