On Asia trip, Gov. Greg Abbott focuses on AI, space exploration as Texas advantages
- by Dallas Morning News on MSN.com
- Jul 10, 2024
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10:40 AM on Jul 10, 2024 CDT
In Seoul, South Korea, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott meets with leaders of the South Korean-based SeAH Group to discuss plans to build a high-performance metal manufacturing facility in Temple, Wednesday, July 9, 2024.
(Gromer Jeffers Jr. / The Dallas Morning News)
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NAGOYA, JAPAN — The beaten path to national security has typically involved developing lethal weapons, a skilled military, and the food and fuel needed to sustain a country.
With advanced technology increasingly charting the world’s future, Gov. Greg Abbott has focused on two areas of exploration — artificial intelligence and outer space — as core themes of his economic development trip to East Asia.
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Working to entice business and political leaders in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan to invest in Texas, Abbott says AI and space exploration can lead to greater security and economic power.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tai-yul speak during a meeting in Seoul, Monday, July 8, 2024.
(Gromer Jeffers Jr. / The Dallas Morning News)
Political Points On his trip to Asia, Abbott will visit a region already influencing North Texas life
Taiwan, with a semiconductor industry critical to the world’s economy, is Texas’ seventh-largest trade partner, totaling $21.3 billion in 2023. It’s the world’s largest producer of semiconductors, providing more than 90% of advanced chips used in cell phones, aircraft, electric vehicles and AI.
Taiwan-based companies have been expanding into Texas for years. GlobiTech, a subsidiary of Taiwan-based GlobalWafer Co., is building a $5 billion silicon wafer plant in Sherman that is expected to create at least 1,500 new jobs. As an incentive to build, Texas provided a $15 million cash grant from its enterprise fund.
According to the World Population Review, the countries on Abbott’s East Asia business trip lead the world in semiconductor production in 2024. Taiwan ranks first, with South Korea second and Japan third. The United States is fourth; China is fifth.
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Semiconductor manufacturing in the United States has been aided by companies like Samsung Electronics of South Korea building facilities in Texas cities, including Taylor.
The 2022 Chips and Science Act is causing American semiconductor production to soar, including in Texas, where the Legislature approved similar legislation.
As the home of Dallas-based Texas Instruments, the birthplace of the integrated circuit, Texas leads the nation with 15 existing or announced semiconductor plants and component manufacturing facilities, according to Abbott’s office.
Texas officials are thrilled that the Army Futures Command headquarters, established in 2018 to stay at the forefront of changing technology, is in Austin.
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“Every 40 years the United States Army sets up a headquarters where they will establish a beachhead, where they’re going to design the future of warfare,” Abbott said. “These are the kinds of things they are working on in Austin, Texas.”
On Wednesday, the fourth full day of his Asia trip, Abbott toured the Toyota Museum and met Japanese business leaders to discuss Texas investments.
His trip continues Thursday with meetings in Tokyo and a reception sponsored by Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Gromer Jeffers Jr., political writer. The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5's Lone Star Politics.
gjeffers@dallasnews.com
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