TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The opening ceremony of SEMICON Taiwan 2026 delivered an unexpected disclosure Wednesday (Sept. 2): President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had personally reassured a global semiconductor leader that Taiwan will face no power supply constraints through 2035, a sweeping commitment that now faces scrutiny as the island's energy infrastructure strains under surging demand.
SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha disclosed the guarantee at the opening ceremony of SEMICON Taiwan 2026, Asia's largest semiconductor trade show. "He assured that Taiwan is committed to make sure there is no supply constraints, at least through 2035," Manocha told attendees, adding that Lai also pledged to "continue to focus on the alternate sources for energy."
SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, organizes SEMICON exhibitions worldwide. According to Manocha, approximately 70 fabs are currently in operation or under construction globally, with 93 additional facilities planned over the next five years.
"All these fabs and data centers really put a great pressure on energy demand," Manocha said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) reinforced the commitment, stating the government would "rigorously calculate" projected power demand from AI development and "fully satisfy" industry requirements. Cho pledged that Taiwan would pre-position land, energy, financing, and workforce so companies could begin operations immediately upon arrival.
Taiwan's energy infrastructure faces significant strain. Northern Taiwan's peak-hour power shortfall has nearly doubled over five years, from 2.69 million kilowatt-hours to 4.95 million kilowatt-hours, requiring constant support from central Taiwan, according to a new Business Today (今周刊) analysis.
Local resistance to grid infrastructure compounds the challenge. Residents near Nvidia's (輝達) planned Taipei headquarters have opposed a substation project essential to powering the facility. "We support Nvidia, but the substation cannot be placed in our neighborhood," one community leader told Business Today.
Taiwan's computing power also lags regional rivals. Former Digital Affairs Minister Huang Yen-nan (黃彥男), now at Academia Sinica, noted that South Korea has acquired 260,000 GPUs for its sovereign AI initiative, Japan has over 40,000, while Taiwan possesses only 30,000.
"Thirty thousand GPUs require more than 1 gigawatt of power, equivalent to one nuclear power plant," Huang said. He made the remarks Monday at the AI Governance Forum (AI治理論壇) organized by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
The global semiconductor market reached US$1.5 trillion this year, four years ahead of projections, and could hit US$2 trillion by 2030, according to SEMI.
"The world is looking at Taiwan to play the role to make sure that we capture the growth," Manocha said. Whether Lai's 2035 guarantee proves achievable may determine how much of that growth flows through the island. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.69 )