HP to set up global R&D center
By Jason Tan / Staff reporter
The world’s top PC maker, Hewlett-Packard Co (HP), yesterday confirmed it would move to a new site at Nangang Software Park, confirming a Taipei Times report on Sept. 22 that it would set up a global research and development (R&D) center called the “Computing Hub” in Taiwan.
“Since it was established in 2002, HP’s Product Development Center [PDC] has developed well and had an outstanding performance,” the company said in a statement. “HP moving to Nangang Software Park demonstrates the company’s commitment to Taiwan as well as upgrading the PDC to a global ‘Computing Hub’ to realize HP’s global strategy.”
The new site offers its 1,000 employees 330,000m2 of R&D workspace, compared with the old site in Xinyi District that had 11,900m2, the statement said.
The new site cost NT$3.6 billion (US$112.5 million) and HP is expected to procure US$90 billion in electronics components from Taiwanese companies in the next three years, sources told the Taipei Times last month.
The center will focus on computer products, determining the design of the company’s new tablet “HP Slate” and related multi-touch applications.
Other products in the pipeline at the Computing Hub include 3D visual technologies for mobile products, where the US technology giant will work with local suppliers of special shutter glasses.
Personal cloud computing will also be a key theme for the center, where HP will develop related infrastructure and share its know-how with Taiwanese contract manufacturers.
“Innovation will be the key to the Computing Hub. It won’t carry out R&D for mid or low-end products. The center will also join hands with Taiwanese academic institutions,” Kai Hsiao (蕭國坤), HP Taiwan’s procurement head, said last month.
“This project will put Taiwan in a strategic position for HP’s global R&D operations,” Hsiao said, adding that the center is believed to be the largest R&D project in terms of the amount of investment in the nation’s technology industries.
