Apple To Set Up Research Center In Bumi Serpong Damai

JAKARTA, June 22 (Antara) - US technology company Apple has planned to set up a research and development (R&D) or innovation center in Green Office Park in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD), South Tangerang, Banten province. "The facilities here will be similar to other centers in Silicon Valley and San Jose," industry minister's expert staff Sanny Iskandar said here on Wednesday. He made the statement after accompanying Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto to a meeting with Director for South Asia Apple, Michael Coulomb, and government affairs minister of PT Apple Indonesia, Mirza Natadisastra. Sanny stated that Apple would rent a 1,599-square-meter building in the area and complete it with R&D facilities in Aug 2017. The US company would cooperate with Bina Nusantara University (Binus) for training program in information technology. "They will train instructors who will become part of the innovation center. They have chosen Binus because it has so far been focused on IT," Sanny remarked. He stated that the research center will later produce various applications to support the performance of the gadgets that they produce. "The need for apps vary in recent times. They are not only for personal purposes but also for meeting the needs of hospitals and others," he revealed. Sanny pointed out that the Rp1.1 trillion worth research center will start operating in Oct 2017, with employees from home and abroad.