I published an op-ed in CommonWealth Magazine (天下雜誌), in its Insight section, on a simple question: how Taiwan’s AI boom can strengthen its power system rather than strain it.

The starting point: the France–Taiwan conference of 10 September

The piece follows the 28th Taiwan-France Economic Cooperation Conference, held in Paris on 10 September 2026 at the Cercle de l’Union interalliée. Organised by the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) and MEDEF International, it brought together electricity companies and grid-equipment specialists, including Taipower. I took part in the event, speaking on energy security and geopolitics and examining how reducing fuel imports could give Taiwan greater freedom over its industrial choices.

The argument

• Electricity comes after land and finance. A company can secure a site and capital for a data centre and still wait years for a connection. Grids take years to build; customers’ plans change fast. In France, RTE announced in July that by the end of 2026 it will prioritise project readiness over the order of applications: Taipower and RTE would gain from comparing their criteria.
• Reserving grid capacity allocates a scarce resource. Where local capacity is limited, a data centre’s reservation may crowd out a factory seeking to electrify. I propose that a developer’s contribution to the required upgrades be part of the discussion on public support, with clear milestones and agreed consequences for delays.
• Energy security in an AI economy. Gas provides flexibility, but it arrives by sea. An AI investment that adds heavily to gas demand increases the fuel Taiwan must keep bringing ashore. Decarbonisation thus takes on a strategic purpose: relying less on imports preserves room for manoeuvre in a crisis.
• Long-term contracts. As I have argued in CommonWealth before, power purchase agreements of ten to fifteen years between generators and large users give both sides visibility. Grid access for new large consumers should come with a contribution in generation, storage or flexibility.
• Climate and local government. Taipei ranks among the most exposed cities in a climate assessment of 72 major cities: every computing site must be able to maintain power and cooling through extreme weather. Local authorities should be involved early, while a project’s location and terms are still open.

What I propose

That French and Taiwanese partners select one industrial zone for a joint project: test how storage and flexible consumption help ride through an interruption, measure how much power essential operations keep and at what cost, then publish the results. Business can flow both ways, with Taiwanese transformer makers finding outlets in France’s grid investment.

In exchange for land, incentives or a reserved connection, Taiwan can require a contribution to the substations and lines a project makes necessary, a binding demand schedule, and on-site storage or flexible load. Terms that serve the wider economy, not only the campus.

→ Read the op-ed on CommonWealth Magazine