ASE breaks ground on facility in Kaohsiung aimed at meeting AI demand

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) ASE Technology Holding Co. has broken ground on a facility in the Jenwu Industrial Park in Kaohsiung, with production in the first phase of the project set to start in April 2027 to meet growing global demand for AI devices.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony Friday, ASE CEO Tien Wu (吳田玉) said his company plans to invest more than NT$108.3 billion (US$3.41 billion) in the new facility to expand advanced IC testing capacity to meet soaring AI demand.

According to Wu, just months after the first phase of the project becomes operational, the second and likely final phase will begin production in October 2027.

For 42 years, ASE, the world's largest IC packaging and testing services provider, has built a strong production base in Kaohsiung, with production facilities in Nanzih, Lujhu and Dashe districts, and it will soon have a roughly 50,000 square-meter facility in Jenwu, Wu said.

Through these investments, Wu said ASE will create an IC packaging and testing cluster in the city, with the new Jenwu facility expected to help ASE strengthen production efficiency and quickly respond to demand for chips for high-performance computing (HPC) devices.

Wu said the Jenwu facility will introduce AI-based production, including visual cloud inspection systems and fully automated unmanned handling equipment, to boost efficiency and limit pollution.