An important area will be litho machines. The Western ban on sales of advanced manufacturing equipment to China is behind the investment.
The centre will employ 35,000 workers. Wireless and smartphone R&D will also be carried out there.
Salary packages for staff are said to be up to double the going rate but the hours are brutal according to the Nikkei who quoted a chip engineer saying: “The contract will be for three years – the majority of people can’t survive till renewal.”
He cracked that conditions woul be worse than the legendary ‘996’ at Huawei meaning 9am to 9pm 6 days a week, and more like 007 – midnight to midnight 7 days a week.
