“U.S. technology companies are converging on Taiwan to build regional research and development centers, drawn by the island’s relatively low wages and the government’s strategy of forging closer ties with Washington.”
Source: asia.nikkei.com
US technology companies are coming together on Taiwan to establish regional research and development (R&D) centers. The prime reason for this move is the island’s relatively low wages and the government’s strategy of building closer ties with Washington. Industry leaders such as Microsoft, Amazon, IBM and Oath (parent company of Yahoo) are planning to set up their R&D hubs on the island. Drawing investments from US tech companies is part of Taiwanese government’s plan to build an artificial intelligence industry. Taiwan has pledged to pour 10 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$326 million) each year into AI-related investments over the next three years. Not only Taiwan but Singapore also is putting capital in AI and data science to change the country from a trade hub into a cutting-edge technological center. It includes launch of national program called AI Singapore in 2017 and investing US$110 million over next five years.
