Several U.S. technology companies have embedded themselves in Taiwan’s economy by building data centers, opening R&D facilities, and contracting with Taiwanese manufacturing partners, even as China’s pressure on the island has intensified. Their footprints in Taiwan raise the question of how corporate assets and personnel might shape U.S. technology companies’ decision-making in a potential contingency. This study traces the economic and operational linkages of 17 U.S. technology companies—firms that supported Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion—to Taiwan, and examines how their entanglements with the island might impact their behavior in a future crisis.* Business calculations are only one factor in board‑room decision‑making, as reputation, public pressure, and corporate values also matter. That said, mapping the assets at stake helps illuminate the incentives and risks these companies would have to weigh if conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait. While many, if not all, of the companies rely to some extent on Taiwan-made semiconductors, mapping their vulnerabilities to chip supply chain disruptions is beyond the scope of this report. Drawing on data on greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI), research and development (R&D) centers, data centers, supply chains, revenue, and job postings, this report finds that, of the companies that do business in China and Taiwan, the majority maintain more robust ties to the former.
Big Tech in Taiwan | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
