Powering Taiwan

Pegatron Chair: Nuclear Power Key to Taiwan’s AI Future

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By TaiwanPlus

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Pegatron Chair Tung Tzu-hsien says Taiwan could lose out on the economic gains of its AI export boom if it continues relying on fossil fuels. Citing June data from Taiwan’s Energy Administration, Tung says just 16% of Taiwan’s energy is carbon-free, compared with 42% in China and a 41% global average. Speaking at a forum on AI and sustainability, he called for a cleaner energy supply and said nuclear power is the only option that can replace coal and gas given Taiwan’s geography. Tung also downplayed concerns about emerging AI dangers, saying major AI companies are more likely to accelerate development than slow down.

Taiwan’s Energy Needs

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Pegatron Chair: Only Nuclear Can Keep AI Sustainable

REPORTER:
The chairman of electronics manufacturer Pegatron says Taiwan could lose out if it continues to rely on fossil fuels to power its AI export boom.

Tung Tzu-hsien (CHAIR, PEGATRON):  
Our share of carbon-free energy is only 16%.  
At 16%, that is far behind China’s 42%  
and the global average of 41%, including poorer countries.  
So I would say Taiwan  
should be ashamed in this respect.  
We make so much money from the rest of the world  
but when it comes to how we generate our electricity  
we're far behind the rest of the world.  

REPORTER:
Taiwan imports virtually all of its energy as fossil fuels. At a forum on AI and sustainability, Tung said Taiwan must make its energy supply cleaner to protect the economic gains of the past decades. He said based on Taiwan’s geography, only nuclear energy can replace coal and gas.

Separately, Tung downplayed concerns about emerging dangers from AI and said big AI companies are more likely to accelerate development than slow it down.

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Pegatron Chairman: Taiwan Could Lose Competitiveness Without Cleaner Energy

REPORTER:
Taiwan could lose its competitiveness if it continues to fuel its AI export boom by reopening coal fired power plants, the chairman of Taiwan’s second-largest contract electronics manufacturer says.

Tong Tzu-hsien (CHAIRMAN, PEGATRON):  
Using the latest June data from the Energy Administration,  
our share of carbon-free energy is only 16%.  
At 16 percent, that is far behind China’s 42 percent,  
and the global average of 41.8 percent, including poorer countries.  
We make so much money from the rest of the world,  
but when it comes to how we generate our electricity,  
we're far behind the rest of the world.

REPORTER:
Speaking at a forum about sustainability and AI, Tong said energy is the fundamental layer under all AI development and Taiwan is a crucial supplier of AI servers and chips. But Taiwan’s coal-fired power plants rank among the world’s largest emitters of CO2. Most electricity is used by industry, with households using less than 20 percent of Taiwan’s power. Tong said Taiwan must make its energy supply cleaner to protect the economic gains of the past decades. Considering Taiwan’s geography, he said only nuclear energy can replace coal and gas.

Separately, Tung played down concerns about emerging dangers from AI development and said the three dominant AI companies are more likely to accelerate than to slow down.