Taipei mayor discusses future Nvidia site

台北市長討論輝達未來廠址

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) inspected the T17 and T18 sites at the Beitou–Shilin Science Park on Wednesday, the planned location for Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters.

Chiang said the project represents a vote of confidence in Taipei by what he described as the world’s most valuable company. He said Nvidia's local investment would help the city continue its development as an AI hub, per CNA.

During his address to the media, Chiang said he obtained a written letter of intent when he met Nvidia Vice President of Global Real Estate Scott Ekman in November. He described the document as more than a formality, calling it a strong endorsement of Taipei.

Chiang said the decision to locate Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters in the capital was the result of years of work by municipal staff since his administration took office three years ago. He added that his team has worked diligently to overcome multiple challenges related to the project.

Chiang said Nvidia's Taiwan headquarters would be supported by the city's construction of 500 nearby social housing units, as well as dikes and parks designed with disaster prevention and landscaping features. Chiang said the project will help link the Nangang and Neihu Technology Parks, creating what he called the Taipei Tech Cluster.

He added the Nvidia project is only the first step, as the city aims to attract other international companies to nearby T3, T4, and T12 sites within the Beitou–Shilin Science Park. Together with other city-owned land, a comprehensive investment promotion strategy is being planned, he said.

As an example, Chiang showed drone footage of surrounding city-owned vacant land, including a proposed site for Zhoumei Elementary School, which had been previously referred to as a secret site by Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川). He described the 4.6-hectare plot as having a regular shape and said Nvidia had considered it as a runner-up to the T17 and T18 sites.

Regarding the timeline for signing a land rights agreement with Nvidia, Chiang said the next step would be convening an urban planning review meeting in one month to merge the T17 and T18 sites. If the process proceeds smoothly, he said the agreement could be signed before the Lunar New Year.