U.S. billionaire Robert Pera has made headlines by buying a luxury mansion in the center of Taipei. The tech leader reportedly has a net worth of US$18 billion, and his company Ubiquiti has its headquarters in Taiwan. The apartment in Xinyi District had a price tag of NT$570 million.

Yi Li-ting
FTV reporter
A luxury apartment in this white skyscraper on Xinyi Road Section 5 was bought in February by Robert Pera, owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, for NT$2.15 million per ping.

The building was designed by one of the prestigious architects known as the New York Five. Now the luxury mansion belongs to Pera, who paid NT$570 million in cash for the 25th-floor, 288-ping apartment as well as three car spaces.

Hsu Chia-hsin
Real estate expert
Looking at the conditions you need to buy such a property, you don''t just need money. Many developers of luxury properties would like their residents to have a certain power, or a certain influence in the world.

Robert Pera, 43, began his career as an engineer for Apple. Spotting a niche in the market for low-cost, high-performance Wi-Fi modules, he later founded the data communications manufacturer Ubiquiti. The firm now has its HQ in Taiwan.

In 2011, it was listed on NASDAQ, and in 2012, Pera bought the NBA basketball team the Memphis Grizzlies. His net worth is estimated at US$18.3 billion, about NT$500 billion.

Huang Shih-tsung
Financial analyst
Most of Ubiquiti''s OEM partners are in Taiwan, and its development center is also in Taiwan. In the last few years, they even decided to expand their investment in Taiwan. So I think of course it''s equally possible that he plans to live in the apartment or hold it as an investment. Personally I think he probably doesn''t see it as an investment.

One of Pera''s neighbors in the block will be his friend, Taiwanese singer Jeffrey Huang. A decade ago, with Huang''s encouragement, Pera invested NT$10 million in the Wei Te-sheng movie "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale." Pera clearly has a longstanding affinity for Taiwan.