Apple, which is expanding its investment in Southeast Asia, has announced plans to invest an additional 300 billion won in Singapore this time.
According to local media CNA and Reuters on the 18th, Apple said it would invest more than $250 million to expand its campus in Singapore.
Apple is planning to make major improvements to the two buildings it purchased in 2022 near its current Singapore office building.
Apple first entered Singapore in 1981 when it was producing personal computers. It had 72 local employees at the time and has now grown to about 3,600.
Currently, there are no Apple manufacturing facilities in Singapore, only research and support facilities.
The announcement comes in line with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s visit to Singapore.
CEO Cook, who is on a business trip to Southeast Asia, is expected to arrive in Singapore on a two-day trip to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the next Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Earlier, he visited Vietnam from the 14th and promised to expand investment and met with Prime Minister Palm Minjin, as well as local programmers and content creators.
He then said he plans to visit Indonesia on the 17th to meet with President Joko Widodo and review the possibility of building a local manufacturing facility.
Amid the conflict with China, U.S. giants are trying to reduce their dependence on China. Relying on only one country can cause problems. That’s why Cook visited Southeast Asia this time. It will benefit not only the future but also the countries given the opportunity to give opportunities to various countries rather than relying on too many countries.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL