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Intel needs to improve collaboration with Taiwan, says vice economics minister
Bryan Chuang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 26 October 2010]
Intel CEO Paul Otellini, during his visit to Taiwan on October 28, is arranged to sign an MOU with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) for cooperation in cloud computing development. Vice economics minister Hwang Jung-chiou, having met with many executives of Intel and Intel Taiwan, indicated that MOEA will talk about the unfulfilled WiMAX MOU with Otellini this time. He stressed that there will be much room for Intel to step up its cooperation with Taiwan because Intel has not taken as much effort as IBM, Microsoft or Hewlett-Packard (HP) in this respect. Otellini will hold a press conference at the hotel Le Meridien Taipei, with economics minister Shih Yen-shiang, National Science Council minister Lee Lou-chuang, education minister Wu Ching-ji and Chunghwa Telecom chairman Lu Shyue-ching to be among the attendees. Immediately after Intel dismissed its WiMAX Program Office, minister Shih expressed his concern in a letter to Otellini, and Otellini gave a reply, Hwang said. MOEA hopes Otellini can materialize what was mentioned in his reply letter to Shih. While Intel has cooperated with Taiwan for 20 years, Taiwan needs technological cooperation of higher levels, which was the reason for Taiwan to invite Intel to set up an R&D center 6-7 years ago and cooperate in WiMAX later, Hwang said. The Taiwan government hopes to see cooperation between Intel and Taiwan-based enterprises upgrade from CPU chips to WiMAX. Intel has taken no steps concerning investment since it signed the WiMAX MOU with MOEA. Many Taiwan WiMAX players thus hold the opinion that Intel has been insincere. MOEA has finished a business plan for establishing a WiMAX system integration joint venture, but Intel has been unwilling to indicate whether it will invest or not. Intel Taiwan has not made any promise to MOEA's requirements, saying only that it will consider it. The Taiwan government understands that Intel has to consider its internal issues, changes in external environment and business factors. MOEA also knows that Intel will not invest in Taiwan, Hwang indicated. But judging from the past 5-6 years, Taiwan's cooperation with Microsoft, IBM or HP has been closer than that with Intel, and there is still much room for collaboration between Intel and Taiwan to improve, Hwang said. According to MOEA officials, Taiwan will not let the cloud computing MOU be Intel's excuse to erase the WiMAX MOU, and minister Shih will demand Otellini state Intel's position on the WiMAX MOU.
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