We already know that Intel will be visiting TSMC in Taiwan and that the team from Intel would also be heading over to Malaysia for what was as yet an unknown reason, but new reports are coming in that Intel is planning to announce an investment of US$7 billion which will be used to build a new chip packaging plant in Penang. The announcement is said to take place in Kuala Lumpur, together with Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Azmin Ali and Malaysian Investment Development Authority chief executive Arham Abdul Rahman.
Intel already has multiple locations on the island of Penang, alongside many other technology companies, such as ASE, Bosch, Osram and Western Digital to name a few. While the trip to Malaysia seems to at least involve a meet and greet, as well as a press conference with representatives for the Malaysian government, it seems like Gelsinger’s time in Taiwan will not involved any meetings with government members, as Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua has said that Gelsinger is in Taiwan strictly for business and won’t be meeting with her. However, Taiwan will at least not force Gelsinger to waste two weeks in quarantine, as he’ll get the special treatment that some foreign enterprises are given for short business trips to Taiwan.
