"So far, Apple has only built R&D facilities in the US and in Brazil. Thus, we are the second country outside the US, and the first country in Asia to have the R&D (facility)," he explained in Jakarta on Wednesday.
This development is the result of an agreement between the Indonesian government and Apple for the extension of the tech giant's Domestic Component Level (TKDN) certificate, which will allow its products to be sold in the country.
The minister stated that the R&D facility will be located in the BSD Tangerang Special Economic Zone (KEK), Banten, and will focus on software development, involving 15 major state universities in Indonesia.
Furthermore, in addition to building the R&D facility, Apple will establish the Apple Software Innovation and Technology Institute and the Apple Professional Developer Academy as a part of its investment commitment for the extension of the Scheme-Three TKDN.
Earlier, Minister Kartasasmita mentioned that Indonesia had concluded negotiations with Apple regarding the TKDN extension.
"With the completion of negotiations between the Ministry of Industry and Apple, which have been outlined in the MoU document, the process of issuing the TKDN certificate for Apple can begin," he added.
He further stated that the negotiations lasted for five months and were challenging, as both the Indonesian government and Apple sought to protect their respective interests.
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Translator: Ahmad Muzdaffar, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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