HP building $112 million R&D center 18
Mon, 04 Oct 2010 1:04 pm EDT 
Look out Taiwan, HP is coming in with the big bucks. According to Taipei Times, the world’s largest tech company is setting up a new research and development center in Taiwan, and at the cost of $112.5 million over the next three years. The center is estimated to need some $30 billion (with a b) in electronics components over that same three year span. The focus of this R&D center, dubbed the “Computing Hub”? Handsets, PCs, and servers. Handsets, as in devices like future Palm products alongside things like the HP Slate.
HP also plans to branch out a bit from their current product lines, with items like 3D active shutter glasses. Hopefully those won’t be finding their way to compatibility with any Palm products - don't get us wrong, 3D is cool, but heavy battery-powered glasses are not. Said Kai Hsiao, HP Taiwan’s procurement head, “Innovation will be the key to the Computing Hub. It won’t carry out R&D for middle or low-end products. The center will also join hands with Taiwan’s academia.”
Source: Taipei Times; Thanks to David for the heads up!
18 Comments
Ooooh. Wait, no, yawn. Nah, I guess that's cool. I doubt anything except for an announcement about new hardware is going to be that exciting right now.
Oh yeah, and woo hoo! My first first!
Why not spend some money in making kick ass hardware and getting amazon kindle and netflix on board?
because r&d is the opposide of what you demand
Yeah, and I bet they won't start developing that next webOS smartphone until this center is built and running...
i thought the same thing haha... i guess this is what the ment when they said "we are doubling down on webos".
Yeah the "news" on this website gets more ridiculous by the day.
I'm glad this means that there will be future developement for Palm and WebOS. And this is off topic, but I think it's sad that U.S. businesses can no longer invest here. I just wonder what Americans will be doing in the future.
You do realize that use of "Palm" was strictly Derek's insertion into the content, right? The source article does not mention Palm by name at all...
Also, I find it very interesting that this site is not supposed to be operation for 3 years yet the source article says
"It won
Bet they'll get a deal on Agilent Instruments.
Agilent didn't do well after spinning off from HP. My father was an upper level management marketing engineer and his division saw a major decline in sales under the Agilent name/management, but that could also be attributed to the state of the market back then. I stopped following the company when my father left, so I don't really know how much of a role they play in telecommunications today. Not trying to hijack here, but the mention of Agilent got me thinking. Are they still producing competitive equipment? If so, that would be a good connection to leverage when stocking up this new R&D center.
Another example of why the U.S. is on a decline, yet another job creation project from the private sector being sent abroad.
This is really sad. Hurd cut the R&D budget so much here in the States that the only viable option to build it back up is to go to China?
Alright America, listen up:
We've outsourced our manufacturing, but no one in charge cared because it was beneath their tax bracket.
Now we've outsourced our science and technology sector, but the leaders probably still don't care because that's still not in their tax bracket.
The World economy is now looking to decouple from the US monetary system, which means your bankers are now going to be in the lesser tax bracket.
You can't move a body if you don't have the muscle, brains or resources. The upper 2% of this country cannot survive on their investments alone. How much do we have to send to China and the third world before you get it-- it's not in our interest to continually buy cheap crap. It's not in our interest to have someone else "do it for us." It's not in our interest to gut the country for short-term gain, all the while bankrupting our future.
The nation is now run by and for the corporations. That is the textbook definition of the word "fascism." Go look it up. The richest 2% of America has absolutely GUTTED the shared resources we as a country have built up, and unless there's a GIGANTIC enema to flush these people and their short-term-high-gain-thinking ways, we are absolutely doomed as a country.
HP, I wholeheartedly disapprove of this decision. This is a step in the wrong direction, one that, cumulatively, bankrupts our country. You're a US company, run in the US and founded on US principals. Act like it. Don't throw away the culture that you've worked so hard to build up.
And, of course, there's nothing that you or I, the users, can do about it. And that makes me sad.
Absolutely awesome post. I whole heartedly agree with (almost) everything you've written... I keep repeating this to friends and family around me and people just don't get it.
Where I disagree with you is that we can do something about it. I am in the process of starting a vertical manufacturing business : we design and manufacture our own stuff using made in the USA tools (when we can get them) materials, and machines (where we can get them). Recently I ordered about a dozen machines for the shop : you know where most of my machines came from? China and Taiwan. I kept asking the manufacturers, "so when did you start making these machines in China and Taiwan" they all kept saying a magic date : 2005. Between 2002 and 2006 all of these manufactures consolidated, moved R&D, moved assembly and turned into a drop ship company. Without saying ANY of this on their websites and neither are "loyal" users being heard on forums (because when they say machines are made in ASIA post gets removed).
We are screwed as a country if we don't start making stuff... The skill, place where machines are made, engineering, and design sustain this country! As a whole we can design here, but that will only last for so long... You can't just design here and make somewhere else for ever... That is an obscene amount of resources wasted, and a huge loss of jobs...
Most people might not see the consequences or comprehend any of this now : but in the years to come people will understand how the 2% screwed us big time...
Again, awesome post.
Glad to see there is some American will left in the economy. And yes while this may not be directly related to Palm, I completely agree with the above two posts. I joined the Navy not too long ago, and I hope to become an electrical engineer later on. I'm not going to say every one on the news lately is "fear mongering", but it really is scary to see big companies like HP, create jobs in other countries. These are the types of companies that could reverse this process if they cared to.
sorry to talk about current events, but I'm just commenting on the article above.
First thing I thought when I saw this headline. Tired of our country being sold out from underneath us.
I'm tired of people complaining about the news here. It like complaining about the lack of news at typewriters.com. I'm amazed that they find anything to post right now.
Companies like HP, have to do things like this in order to maintain a viable, profitable business. Why?
1) A huge percentage of our population is supported by our government. And therefore productivity is irrelevant to them. So no one will work for the kind of labor cost demanded by the consumers in this country.
2) The consumers in this country will, (with a few exceptions) will buy from the company offering the lowest price for the same goods.
3) HP can't get people in this country to work as for cheap (because those who would just live of the govt instead) AND they must be able to sell their goods to remain viable.
It's the government... Not corporations. Business can only sell what people buy, and can't compete with the screwed up american govt controlled labor force.
I know people who refuse to work when offered a paying job, because their unemployment will be in jeopardy. Sad but true. Well guess what.. The chinese will work cheap because they want to eat, and they don't have the 2% supporting the bottom 40% through taxes.