33 Taiwan R&D Collaboration Partners

AMD has reportedly signed an agreement to build a new research and development (R&D) center in Taiwan.

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In a new article from CNA Taiwan, we learn that Qiu Qiuhui, director of industrial technology at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, confirmed the “operational secret” that AMD’s GPU and AI software platforms are open architectures, naming 33 manufacturers in Taiwan that will participate in the R&D.

About 15 billion yuan (about $2 billion) is expected to be invested in new investments, and more than 1,000 new AI workers will be hired in Taiwan each year. Twiwan has the advantage of being home to the largest semiconductor industry cluster, and major AI chip companies such as AMD and NVIDIA are applying to set up new R&D centers in Taiwan. This is in addition to TSMC, which produces the most advanced chips for the world’s largest companies.

Economic Minister Kuo Chi-hui revealed this week in an exclusive interview with China Central News Agency that AMD’s application for the “A+ project” had been approved, with total funding for the project amounting to NT$8.64 billion (about U.S.$260 million) and a subsidy of about 30% from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Qiu Qiuhio, Director of Industrial Technology at the Ministry of Commerce, posted on Facebook about AMD’s new R&D center in Taiwan, where he spoke about the possibility of traveling to Seattle for the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference and “talked with colleagues about whether to go to Silicon Valley, where AMD is looking for investors.”

He added that AMD’s market value at that time exceeded $170 billion, which officially surpassed Intel and made it the world’s most valuable processor manufacturer and the world’s second-largest AI chip company.

He admitted that compared to the negotiations with NVIDIA to set up a new R&D center in Taiwan four years ago, NVIDIA’s share price at the time was “low,” and no one at the company was optimistic about its ability to contribute to the global rise in AI adoption over the past 18 months.

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On August 9, 2023, Qiu Qiuhui took her colleagues to AMD’s Silicon Valley headquarters, where AMD Senior Vice President David Wang personally led the team. Qiu Qiuhui said:Your competitors have already conducted extensive R&D in Taiwan. If you don’t react quickly, the gap could widen even further.“.

AMD is reportedly establishing R&D teams in silicon photonics, artificial intelligence (AI), and heterogeneous integration in Taiwan. From the new R&D base, AMD can work with domestic manufacturers and universities on next-generation AI processors, AI graphics processors, and the potential for a new AI supercomputer in Taiwan.