TAIPEI -- Hewlett-Packard Co. last year spent US$18 billion in Taiwan to procure IT components and systems, the head of the company's Taiwan operations said late last month.

HP outsources production of handheld devices and desktop and laptop PCs to companies in Taiwan, said Rosemary Ho, managing director of HP Taiwan, during groundbreaking ceremonies for four chip plants that Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. is building in Taichung, Taiwan.

HP accounted for 39 percent of the $45.72 billion worth of electronics products that Taiwan-based companies exported last year, according to a report by the Taiwanese government.

In comparison, Dell Inc. sourced about $5 billion worth of IT gear from companies in Taiwan last year, according to the report.

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