Nvidia sets up shop in Taiwan with AI supers and a factory full of ambition

Researchers and TSMC to benefit from expanded infrastructure

Computex Against a backdrop of continuing tensions between the US and China, with Taiwan typically stuck in the middle, Nvidia is touting two AI supercomputers for the country.

The American GPU giant also announced a local office complex that will be its overseas headquarters, to be located close to the island's capital, Taipei.

At the global Computex hype-fest held every year in Taipei, the AI accelerator maker said it is working with the Taiwanese government to build an "AI factory," in partnership with vendor Foxconn, which is set to be used by semiconductor heavyweight TSMC when completed.

Nvidia also disclosed an AI supercomputer for Taiwan's National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) to replace the earlier Taiwania 2 system, which will also make use of its GPU hardware.

The latter system will be based on Nvidia's HGX H200 platform with over 1,700 GPUs, plus a pair of GB200 NVL72 rackscale systems, and an HGX B300 system, which is based on the latest Blackwell Ultra platform, all linked with Quantum InfiniBand networking.

Expected to go live later this year, the new supercomputer will provide researchers with up to 8x the performance of its predecessor when processing AI workloads, or so Nvidia says. Academic institutions, government agencies, and small businesses in Taiwan will be able to apply for access to boost their projects.

In addition to its new super, NCHC also plans to deploy a cluster of HGX units in the cloud, plus a set of Nvidia's DGX Spark systems, the pint-sized AI workstation the company unveiled at its GTC conference earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the "AI factory" looks set to be on a somewhat larger scale, slated to include 10,000 Blackwell GPUs, in order to "significantly expand" AI computing availability for Taiwan-based researchers and enterprises.

Foxconn, otherwise known as Hon Hai Technology Group, is to provide the AI infrastructure through its subsidiary, Big Innovation Company, acting as an Nvidia Cloud Partner. This will include GB300 NVL72 rack-scale Blackwell Ultra systems, interconnected with Nvidia's Quantum InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Ethernet network kit.

The contract manufacturer intends to use the resulting AI supercomputer itself, with a vision of "connecting industries, citizens, and government organizations to accelerate growth with AI."

Minister Wu Cheng-Wen of Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council said that the plan is to build an AI-focused industrial ecosystem in the southern part of the island.

"We are focused on investing in innovative research, developing a strong AI industry, and encouraging the everyday use of AI tools. Our ultimate goal is to create a smart AI island filled with smart cities, and we look forward to collaborating with Nvidia and Hon Hai to make this vision a reality."

Another user is set to be Taiwan's giant semiconductor maker, TSMC, which aims to advance its research and development work with it.

"Leveraging this AI factory reinforces our commitment to pushing the limits of AI-driven innovation," chairman and chief exec C.C. Wei said in a statement.

"By harnessing advanced AI infrastructure, we empower our researchers to accelerate breakthroughs in semiconductor technology, enabling next-generation solutions for our customers and the world," he added.

"AI factories," or infrastructure specially built to handle the most demanding AI workloads, is a pet theme of Nvidia's rockstar chief exec Jensen Huang, who has previously asserted that these will "become the bedrock of modern economies across the world." Especially if they use lots of Nvidia's costly hardware, of course.

"These are gigantic factory investments, and the reason why people build factories is because you know, you know the answer," Huang is reported to have told the Computex audience.

Nvidia's goal of building and selling up to half a trillion dollars' worth of American-made AI supercomputer equipment over the next four years couldn't be done without Taiwan in the form of TSMC, nor its partners – but the tech industry has only just had a reprieve against the impending disaster of trade-smacking tariffs. Taiwan had been due to be hit with a 32 percent US import tax despite its trade surplus with the US (remember the stupid tariff math) until President Donald Trump last month paused all "reciprocal tariffs" for 90 days. Taiwan's close trading partner, China, got its 90-day reprieve last week Monday, but the shadow over the tech industry remains.

Huang also used the event to unveil the company's new Taiwan office, called Nvidia Constellation. This will be located at the Beitou Shilin Science Park, near Taipei, and will be the firm's new overseas headquarters.

Huang claimed that Taiwanese companies are changing the world, and thanked Nvidia's ecosystem partners.

"We are in fact creating a whole new industry to support AI factories, AI agents, and robotics," he claimed. ®