AMD decided to build its research centers in southern Taiwan because the power supply is more stable here

AMD’s intentions to build a research center in Taiwan first became known last month, but Japanese media learned of the company’s senior vice president David Wang’s visit to the island this week and reported an adjustment to plans. Northern Taiwan has spooked AMD with potential power outages, so the company will set up two research centers in the south of the island.

Image source: DigiTimes

David Wang met with the local economic minister during his visit to Taiwan, confirming the company’s commitment to build two research centers in Tainan and Kaohsiung in the south of the island. They will develop AMD’s collaboration with both local universities and manufacturers. The company will invest about $270 million in the construction of these centers, but about a third of the amount will be offset by subsidies from the Taiwanese authorities.

In total, the project will provide employment to 400 specialists, with half of them coming from outside Taiwan. On the island, AMD plans to focus on research related to artificial intelligence, silicon photonics and advanced chip packaging techniques. In total, AMD will interact with 33 Taiwanese companies through similar activities. For the island’s authorities, AMD’s assistance is part of an initiative to create conditions in Taiwan for the productive development of artificial intelligence technologies. They are going to allocate more than $470 million for such projects. AMD also did not consider the central part of the island as a choice of locations for the construction of its research centers due to concerns about the stability of energy supply, as explained by the Taiwanese media.