Taiwan's investment office approved four expansion plans worth more than NT$4 billion, a positive sign for local factories and jobs as firms pour money into AI-driven production.

• Four companies are building new plants in Chiayi, Changhua, and northern Taiwan.
• The biggest is an optical communications and laser chip maker spending NT$2.18 billion on a smart production line, adding 110 jobs.
• A flexible packaging maker is spending NT$1.46 billion on an AI-assisted printing plant with solar power, adding 105 jobs.
• A frozen food processor and a metal coating firm that supplies car and bicycle brands are also expanding.
• Taiwan's three investment programs have now drawn 1,817 companies and about NT$2.8 trillion, with more than 170,000 jobs expected.

Outlook: More approvals are likely as companies keep shifting toward automation, AI quality control, and lower-carbon production to stay in global supply chains.