TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) on Wednesday (June 12) rejected fears in the foreign media that Taiwan would be unable to provide sufficient electricity amid the rapid expansion of the AI sector.
During last week’s Computex Taipei expo, several new projects were announced, including a plan by Nvidia Corporation to base a second R&D center in Taiwan.
A report by CNBC mentioned concerns about a power crunch, with the reliability of energy imports and low electricity prices for residential consumers cited as important factors.
However, Kuo said the government’s energy-saving projects were likely to ensure there would be no shortages from 2025, when Taiwan is scheduled to become a nuclear-free homeland, until 2028, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI).
Calculations made last week based on the current situation and on preparations by state utility Taiwan Power Company showed a power shortage was unlikely, according to the minister.
An annual growth rate of 3% for the power supply would be enough as the electronics sector would also start off with servers at data centers and with types of semiconductors that were more frugal with electricity, Kuo said. He added that he would only be more concerned in the case of a massive expansion of the AI sector after 2028.