Taiwan's $34bn southern tech building frenzy sparks property boom

Developments in industrial port of Kaohsiung price residents out of market

A Kaohsiung city view. The port city known for its steel and petrochemical plants is transforming into a semiconductor and EV cluster, and that has triggered a property boom. (Photo by Cheng Ting-fang)

CHENG TING-FANG and LAULY LI, Nikkei Asia tech correspondents

April 20, 2022 16:28 JST

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- The 30-minute drive south on National Freeway 1 from Tainan Science Park to Kaohsiung reveals a landscape teeming with construction for Taiwan's booming tech industry.

Leaving the science park where Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is building its most advanced chip factory, the highway heads to Kaohsiung. The industrial port used to be a hub for oil refineries and petrochemical plants but is now part of a government plan to create new semiconductor facilities needed to sustain Taiwan's strategic importance.