Property firm Soilbuild Group is constructing a complex in Kallang Way to house a Singapore joint venture that makes high-tech equipment for devices such as drones and robots.
The building, which will cost $600 million to erect and equip, is for RF360, a joint venture formed in February between American semiconductor giant Qualcomm and Japanese electronics components maker TDK.
RF360 makes radio frequency modules and filters for mobile devices, drones, robotics and automotive applications. It said that it is expanding to capture the strong demand growth in the radio frequency application market.
The firm is committing $500 million to the project, with Soilbuild, which will own the building, investing around $110 million.
The building - to be known as Solaris @ Kallang 171 - is expected to be completed in June 2019 with a total gross floor area of over 320,000 sq ft.
Solibuild will lease it to RF360. Typically, leases for such customised sites are no shorter than seven to 10 years.
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who visited the Solaris construction site yesterday for a collaboration ceremony, said the RF360 expansion will create 300 new jobs in the electronics industry.
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300 Number of new jobs in the electronics industry RF360 will create with its expansion.
Solaris will house RF360's electronics production, research and development, product testing, laboratory and ancillary offices.
Production will focus on what are called surface acoustic wave (SAW) structured wafers and thin film acoustic packaging.
Qualcomm's Test Centre of Excellence operations will also be housed there. Qualcomm owns 51 per cent of RF360 and TDK controls 49 per cent. Qualcomm also has a 30-month option, which started in February, to buy out TDK's stake.
Mr Christian Block, senior vice-president and general manager of radio frequency front-end at Qualcomm Technologies, said that the Government and the Economic Development Board "have shown continuous commitment to support and host the electronics industry".
"The SAW manufacturing for front-end production has been in Singapore since 1997 with a proven track record and supported by the highly skilled labour in Singapore," he added.
