Supermicro to expand production in Taiwan: Founder

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) U.S.-based artificial intelligence server maker Super Micro Computer, Inc. is planning to expand its presence in Taiwan and forge closer ties with the local industrial sector, Supermicro founder and CEO Charles Liang (梁見後) said Saturday.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony at National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech), formerly known as National Taipei Institute of Technology which was Liang's alma mater, he said expanding in Taiwan has become an operational priority for Supermicro.

A Taiwanese-American originally from Chiayi in southern Taiwan, Liang, who graduated from National Taipei Institute of Technology in 1978 and received an honorary Ph.D degree from Taipei Tech in 2011, founded Supermicro in Silicon Valley in 1993. The company went public on the Nasdaq market in 2007.

Liang said Supermicro has built a science and technology park in Bade District of Taoyuan in northern Taiwan, and is planning to build another production site in the country. The new investment is expected to be announced in the next few months.

"It is not only in the United States, Supermicro is also expanding in Taiwan, Malaysia and Europe," Liang said, "Taiwan is our top choice for investment as long as the timing is right."

"Supermicro has enjoyed good growth and that is expected to continue, so expanding our operations in Taiwan is a natural step," Liang said.

At the end of 2019, Supermicro announced an investment of about NT$20 billion (US$617 million) to build a science and technology park in Taoyuan. This was to accommodate a research and development center, a software development center, a warehousing and logistics hub, and automated production lines.

Liang is in Taipei to attend the upcoming Computex 2024, one of the largest information technology exhibitions in the world set to open on June 4 in Taipei. He is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on June 5 about Supermicro's latest AI infrastructure advancements, opportunities in the industry, and the strategies for deploying sustainable Total IT Solutions.

In addition to Liang, representatives from other semiconductor giants including Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) CEO Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) and Intel Corp. CEO Pat Gelsinger are also set to speak at Computex.

Liang said he will meet with Nvidia Corp. CEO Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) during his stay in Taiwan, expecting Nvidia will continue to prosper in AI development.

In his speech at the Taipei Tech graduation ceremony, Liang said Supermicro had intensified efforts to surpass its peers and worked closely with its Taiwanese partners to strengthen global competitiveness.

Liang said he also remains upbeat about liquid cooling technology during the AI boom and will work with suppliers to grasp a 20-30 percent share of the global market next year.

Liang donated 10 AI servers to Taipei Tech in the hopes they will expand the high-performance computing capabilities of the school as a way to cultivate an AI talent pool and boost R&D strength.