Google May Set Up Its Asian Base in Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 9, 2005 (CENS)--As Google enters the final stage of its search for an Asian location for its mainframe computers and global back-up system, the electronic information management center of Acer Inc., dubbed Acer Edc, has emerged as a front-running candidate.

If Acer can manage to beat its competitors and win Google's patronage, Google will become the single largest client for Acer Edc, which is located in Lungtan Village, Taoyuan County, northern Taiwan. The move would also underscore the fact that Taiwan has reached international standards for its Internet environment, information safety, and content safety management.

Google, the world's leading search-engine company, has been looking for one year for a site to deposit its mainframes used for the Asian market, as well as to serve as a global back-up system base. Acer is facing competition from four companies in Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.

Acer Edc now boasts more than 60 clients, including Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Chiao Tung Bank, Trade-Van Information Services, Taiwan Financial Assets Services Company, and Ford Lio Ho, and expects to rake in revenue of NT$4 billion this year. If Google finally decides to deposit its mainframes and establish its global backup base in Taiwan, it will not only confirm the technological capability of the Acer Group, but will also help boost Taiwan's global image. Taiwan's information-technology (IT) industry has long played a critical role as part of the supply chains of the global IT industry.

Acer Edc was founded by Stan Shih, founder of the Acer Group, at an investment cost of NT$3 billion. With a space of 18,000 pings (one ping equals 36 square feet), it is the largest co-hosting facility in Asia. The Edc building boasts a solid structure capable of withstanding a class seven earthquake on the Richter scale, five levels of back-up power supplies, as well as an electrical machinery system with an internationally certified reliability of 99.999%, assuring that there will be no disruption of water and power supplies. Acer's Edc center is furnished with a positive-ion generator capable of protecting the entire compound of the facility from lightening strike. It is also under the protection of a top-notch security system, which adopts the cutting-edge technologies of card identification, palm print identification, and facial identification.