Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Guo Zhihui, expressed a warm welcome to NVIDIA, also known as Huaita in Chinese, for setting up their second research and development center in Taiwan. He stated that Taiwan will continue to fully support foreign investment in the country.
The Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee invited Minister Guo Zhihui to present a report on the agency’s operations and to answer questions. Ahead of the meeting, Minister Guo was asked about NVIDIA’s plans to establish a second research and development center in Taiwan. He emphasized that Taiwan warmly welcomes NVIDIA’s investment and assured that the Ministry has not yet discussed the new investment proposal, but reiterated their strong commitment to supporting foreign investment in Taiwan.
NVIDIA CEO, Huang Renxun, visited Taiwan to participate in the Taipei International Computer Show. On the 4th of June, he confirmed plans to establish a second artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer center in Taiwan similar to Taipei-1 and to build a beautiful headquarters for NVIDIA employees in the country.
When asked about suggestions for the location of NVIDIA’s new center, Minister Guo mentioned that the Ministry has not made any recommendations yet. He emphasized that the choice of location is crucial, considering factors such as local resources and talent. Minister Guo highlighted the importance of stable power supply, stating that while current electricity inventory should be sufficient, preparations are being made in anticipation of increased power demands during the AI boom projected for 2025-2028. The Ministry is collaborating with Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) to assess future electricity needs and will construct new power plants if necessary, seeking support from the public for such developments.
Addressing questions about nuclear power plant extensions, Minister Guo emphasized the Ministry’s respect for feedback from various societal sectors and its consideration of such input for future policy-making. He underscored that Taiwan’s attractiveness to major global companies for investment indicates the country’s safety and stability, unaffected by geopolitical issues. Reflecting on his first appearance before the Economics Committee for questioning, Minister Guo remarked on feeling a sense of nervousness, noting that first-time experiences are always accompanied by such feelings.
In 2021, NVIDIA was selected as a leading enterprise in Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs’ in-depth research and development program, receiving a total budget of around NT$24.3 billion (approximately US$7.88 billion). Out of this, they were granted subsidies of NT$6.7 billion (about US$2.17 billion) while self-contributing NT$17.6 billion (around US$5.71 billion). NVIDIA established its first AI research center in Taiwan, completed constructing a supercomputer in 2023, and provided some high-speed computing resources free of charge for research and development purposes in Taiwan.