It is understood that Hon Hai wants to build the factory because it has LED technologies and its 400,000 employees worldwide are perspective consumers of the plants. The group plans to grow high-quality vegetables in the factory for its employees in initial stage and for average consumers in the long run.

Group Chairman Terry Gou has recently sent specialists to inspect plant factories in Japan and is convincing NTU's College of Bioresources and Agriculture to work with his group to open Taiwan's first plant factory in the university.

According to professors of the college, LED is noted for its energy-conservation merit, but it is a costly light source. The university has set aside budget and will seek financial assistances from interested enterprises and the government for the college's plant-factory plan.

The college has signed an agreement with Chiba University of Japan to work together on plant factory science. Also, NTU plans to open an experimental plant factory at its branch school in Yunlin County next year to help develop plant-factory industry on the island.

In a separate case, the group also intends to develop clean-energy plant factories in Yunlin County in cooperation with county government.

Yunlin Government said it will emulate Japan's first plant factory built in shipping container to set up Taiwan's first shipping container-type plant factory by the end of this year.

In addition to Hon Hai, laser-diode maker Genesis Photonics Inc. and foods processing company Wei Chuan Foods Corp. are also working on plant-factory project. Genesis has sent specialists to Japan to inspect the factories while Wei Chuan is planning to deploy LED lights in its factories.

Japan has the world's most advanced plant-factory technologies.