My op-ed in the Taipei Times: Taiwan, AI and the resource wall
The Taipei Times is Taiwan’s leading English-language daily, regularly featuring analyses from international specialists.
I published an op-ed on the gap between Taiwan’s AI ambitions and its natural-resource constraints.
The island aims to become a global AI powerhouse, with ten major infrastructure projects in the pipeline. Yet it imports 97% of its energy and holds only ten days of LNG reserves. TSMC already consumes nearly 10% of national electricity — potentially 24% by 2030.
Water is the other blind spot. TSMC uses 150,000 tonnes of water per day, and AI data centers are adding to the pressure. During recent droughts, 74,000 hectares of rice paddies were sacrificed to maintain industrial supply.
I argue for transparent governance of trade-offs, geothermal development, and binding regulations on data-center water consumption.