Technology firms have fourished amid the COVID-19 pandemic and increased demand for office space, a trend that might continue, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (JLL) said yesterday.
The top 25 technology firms in the US hired 600,000 more workers between the second quarter of 2020 and the third quarter of last year, lifting their payroll to 1 million and creating demand for 430,000 ping (1.42km2) of office space over the same period, the international property broker said.
The phenomenon could continue, making large Grade A office a focal point in the leasing market, JLL said.
JLL Taiwan managing director Tony Chao (趙正義) shared the same observation for Taiwan, home to the world’s largest suppliers of electronic components used in smartphones, laptops, TVs and vehicles, as well as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things applications.
Technology titans such as Hewlett-Packard Co, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Alphabet Inc and Line Corp last year increased their office space in Taipei’s Neihu (內湖) and Nangang (南港) districts, as well as in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) by 4,000 to 5,000 ping, accounting for 65 percent of the overall take-up, Chao said.
Aside from growing demand, the trend has to do with a limited supply of Grade A offices in Taipei, he said.
Technology companies have benefited from the global health crisis, as it has forced companies and organizations to speed up digital transformation and embrace remote work and schooling, he said.
Companies are likely to seek to attract and retain talent by upgrading their working environment in the post-COVID-19 era, making new office buildings more popular, Chao said, adding that technology firms with expansion needs would have no choice but relocate to locations that are not central.
The vacancy rate has dropped to historical lows in central business districts, Chao added.
PROTECTION: The investigation, which takes aim at exporters such as Canada, Germany and Brazil, came days after Trump unveiled tariff hikes on steel and aluminum products US President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered a probe into potential tariffs on lumber imports — a move threatening to stoke trade tensions — while also pushing for a domestic supply boost. Trump signed an executive order instructing US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to begin an investigation “to determine the effects on the national security of imports of timber, lumber and their derivative products.” The study might result in new tariffs being imposed, which would pile on top of existing levies. The investigation takes aim at exporters like Canada, Germany and Brazil, with White House officials earlier accusing these economies of
EARLY TALKS: Measures under consideration include convincing allies to match US curbs, further restricting exports of AI chips or GPUs, and blocking Chinese investments US President Donald Trump’s administration is sketching out tougher versions of US semiconductor curbs and pressuring key allies to escalate their restrictions on China’s chip industry, an early indication the new US president plans to expand efforts that began under former US president Joe Biden to limit Beijing’s technological prowess. Trump officials recently met with their Japanese and Dutch counterparts about restricting Tokyo Electron Ltd and ASML Holding NV engineers from maintaining semiconductor gear in China, people familiar with the matter said. The aim, which was also a priority for Biden, is to see key allies match China curbs the US
Teleperformance SE, the largest call-center operator in the world, is rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI) system that softens English-speaking Indian workers’ accents in real time in a move the company claims would make them more understandable. The technology, called accent translation, coupled with background noise cancelation, is being deployed in call centers in India, where workers provide customer support to some of Teleperformance’s international clients. The company provides outsourced customer support and content moderation to global companies including Apple Inc, ByteDance Ltd’s (字節跳動) TikTok and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. “When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard
‘SACRED MOUNTAIN’: The chipmaker can form joint ventures abroad, except in China, but like other firms, it needs government approval for large investments Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) needs government permission for any overseas joint ventures (JVs), but there are no restrictions on making the most advanced chips overseas other than for China, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. US media have said that TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp, has been in talks for a stake in Intel Corp. Neither company has confirmed the talks, but US President Donald Trump has accused Taiwan of taking away the US’ semiconductor business and said he wants the industry back
RSS