Taiwan’s AUO lowers asking price for Singapore industrial asset to $380 million

SINGAPORE - Taiwanese display maker AUO has lowered the asking price for its industrial facility in the Tampines industrial estate to $380 million.

The six-storey facility on a massive site of 997,330 sq ft was first marketed in 2024 at $400 million after AUO shut down production in Singapore in December 2023. The property has a remaining land tenure of 34 years.

Marketing agent Cushman & Wakefield said on April 9 that the site would be suitable for companies in the semiconductor, wafer fabrication and electronics sectors.

Ms Brenda Ong, Cushman & Wake­field’s executive director for logistics and industrial markets, said the asset offers appealing plug-and-play solutions for occupiers looking to lower upfront costs and shorten the downtime resulting from the construction and regulatory approval process.

She said: “One of the key highlights of the property is its well-maintained cleanroom, ready for immediate use.”

The facility is located at 10 Tampines Industrial Avenue 3, within the Tampines Wafer Fab Park. It is zoned Business 2 under the Urban Redevelopment Authority Master Plan 2019, with a maximum plot ratio of 2.5.

At a guide price of $380 million, this translates to a per sq ft price of $199 on a gross floor area of about 1.9 million sq ft.

Checks by The Business Times showed that the facility is owned by AFPD, a wholly owned subsidiary of AUO.

AUO bought the facility from Japanese consumer electronics giant Toshiba in 2010. While the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, Japanese media put the value of the deal at an estimated 10 billion yen (S$92.8 million).

The development, which is approved for advanced flat panel display manufacturing, comes with specifications tailored for manufacturing processes, such as a dual-source 50 megavolt amperes of incoming power supply.

“The property... is surrounded by a concentration of semiconductor companies, adding significant value to any business operating in this sector,” said Cushman & Wake­field.

“Singapore attracted about $13.5 billion of fixed asset investment in 2024 – a 6.3 per cent year-on-year increase. Notably, the electronics sector drove more than half of total­ fixed asset investments in 2024, reaching $7.7 billion.”

The agent said this reflected a positive sector outlook bolstered by the rise of artificial intelligence and digitalisation.

It added: “Given the Government’s supportive policies, global players would continue to extend their presence here, driving demand for high-quality manufacturing space.”

THE BUSINESS TIMES