Getting to know Qimonda
Qimonda Suzhou - the bare facts
Country: China
Region: Jiangsu province
Established: 2004
No. of employees: approx. 1,600
Areas of activity: Research and Development, Design and Test, Purchasing,
Planning, Logistics, Marketing & Sales, Information Technology, Service, Support and Staff
Functions
Distance from city center: 25 km (15,5 miles)
Distance from airport: 160 km (99 miles) (to Shanghai International Airport)
The low down
Set against the ancient backdrop of the city of Suzhou, the SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park) rises in the east of the city. Its modern buildings stand in stark contrast to the traditional pagodas of the city itself. Fittingly for the “City of Bridges”, the SIP is also a bridging venture – the industrial park is a joint undertaking between China and Singapore. In August 2007, Qimonda announced that they would be building on the existing facility for the assembly and testing of memory ICs (back-end) to establish a new memory development center.
The Venice of the east
Located in the delta of the Yangtze river, Suzhou’s network of canals means it is often compared with Venice, despite its distinctive Oriental twist. Suzhou is dotted with centuries-old pagodas and traditional landscaped gardens, collectively recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city has long been one of the centers of the Chinese silk industry and the intricate style of embroidery that bears the city’s name is one of the four traditional Chinese embroidery styles. The breathtaking architecture mirrored by the city’s famous canals includes the 2,500 year-old Pan Gate and the distinctly more modern Gate of the Orient, a 278-meter high skyscraper due to be completed in 2007. Suzhou’s location on China’s East coast, near to the cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications center of Shanghai makes it a crossing point between East and West, capturing the perfect harmony between traditional local culture and international high-tech.
