Changhua County in western Taiwan is set to host a US$100 million-plus Google Inc. data center as part of the U.S. company’s drive to further grow its stake in the lucrative Asian market.
Situated on a 15-hectare site in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, the facility is billed as one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly centers in Asia. No date has been given for commencement of the 12- to 24-month construction period, according to Google Sept. 28.
County Magistrate Cho Po-yuan said Google chose Changhua on the basis of its strategic location, sound infrastructure, stable power supply and adequate business regulations, among other factors.
“We have been working on this project since 2008 when Google began assessing the possibility of setting up a center in Taiwan,” Cho said, adding that a special task force was established to fast track the project.
Officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs welcomed Google’s commitment to Taiwan, and praised the company for deciding to open similar facilities in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Our efforts to promote Taiwan as an information logistics center for the Asia-Pacific region are paying off,” the officials said. “The center will also give Taiwan’s cloud computing sector a significant boost.”
The MOEA has other information communications technology heavyweights in its sights, the officials said. “Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are just some of the firms we are encouraging to boost investment in Taiwan.” (JSM)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw