Taiwan’s chip industry is collaborating with the government to achieve its 2050 net-zero emissions target. However, industry leaders emphasize the need to expedite the development of new energy sources to keep pace with the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI).
Taiwan currently relies heavily on imports to meet its energy needs, particularly natural gas and coal. In light of its commitment to carbon neutrality, the country is intensifying its efforts to adopt renewable energy sources.
Cliff Hou, a senior vice president at TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, emphasized the extraordinary opportunities offered by AI and its pivotal role in the industry’s growth. Hou, who also serves as the chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, highlighted the significance of energy stability for the industry’s advancement. At the association’s annual meeting in Hsinchu, he called for the government’s active participation in the development of new energy sources and the provision of a stable energy supply to the semiconductor sector.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association recently made four key appeals to the government, including the stable supply of green energy, to support chip companies in capitalizing on the AI trend. Both the industry and the government acknowledge the importance of clean energy cooperation, with the industry expressing its willingness to collaborate in achieving the net-zero goal by 2050.
However, Hou highlighted the challenges currently faced by the industry. The supply of net-zero energy currently falls short of the semiconductor industry’s demand. He urged the government to accelerate the pace of developing new energy sources to bridge this gap.
In line with the government’s target set by President Tsai Ing-wen in 2021, TSMC aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. As part of broader plans, Taiwan aims to reduce coal’s contribution to its power mix to below 30% by 2025, with the share of liquefied natural gas (LNG) increasing to approximately 50% and renewables accounting for around 20%.
Sources: Reuters
Definitions:
– Net-zero emissions: Achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount removed from the atmosphere, resulting in no net increase in emissions.
– Artificial intelligence (AI): The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, typically computer systems, to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.
– Renewable energy: Energy that is derived from sources that are continuously replenished, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.
– Carbon neutrality: Achieving a balance between the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere, resulting in no net increase in carbon dioxide levels.