Sony Computer Entertainment to set up R&D center in Taiwan by year's end

August 17, 2007

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), the gaming division of electronics giant Sony, will set up an R&D center by the end of the year, according to the Council for Planning and Economic Development (CEPD).

Sony's R&D center will be the nation's first digital content research center, and domestic companies now have an enormous opportunity to participate in the research and development of Sony's gaming software, said Ho Mei-yueh, chairperson of the Council for Economic Planning and Development.

Sony's announcement follows a CEPD delegation to Japan led by Ho, on a mission to attract more Japanese investors to Taiwan, and to mediate cooperation among NEC Logistics, Mitsui-Soko Co., Sony Logistics, and the Far East Glory Group.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), there are currently 31 foreign companies that have formed R&D centers in Taiwan, but SCE will be the first R&D center in the services industry.

The MOEA Department of Industrial Technology (DOIT) said that foreign companies coming to Taiwan forming R&D centers receive cash subsidies, ranging from 20% to 30% of the entire cost. The subsidy amount offered to SCE will be confirmed after a review of the company's submitted plans, said the DOIT.

Ho said that SCE currently partners with nearly 100 other companies, and is one of the top gaming companies in Japan, along with competitor Nintendo. In July, SCE worked with Taiwan companies on a highly successful project to provide gaming software for the Taiwan High Speed Rail. Ho emphasized that SCE's new R&D center will aim to integrate the nation's universities, research organizations, and software personnel in creating software development opportunities for PS3 gaming consoles.

Ho also announced that Sony and Mitsui-Soko will form a logistics center at the Taichung Export Processing Zone in early August. The logistics center will handle electronics products and materials, and is projected to bring in revenues ranging between NTD 70 billion and NTD 80 billion.

Mitsui-Soko is also considering forming a logistics operation at the Far East Glory Free Trade Zone at the Taoyuan International Airport, and plans to visit Taiwan to explore the possibility, according to Ho.

(Economic Daily News)

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