《TAIPEI TIMES》 Minister Kuo touts AI data center power plans

/ Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwan’s electricity grid would be able to support at least six artificial intelligence （AI） data centers by the end of next year, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo （郭智輝） told lawmakers at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.

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Kuo told a meeting of the Economics Committee that the government was assessing expected electricity requirements of the AI industry, with a report due by the middle of next month.

Lawmakers had asked him about possible power shortages after AI chip giant Nvidia Corp hinted that it might build a new research-and-development center in Taiwan.

On Tuesday, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang （黃仁勳） announced plans to build a second supercomputer center in Taiwan, where the company is already setting up an AI research-and-development center.

Taiwan’s AI industry does not require a significant amount of electricity, but as the industry develops, its power usage could exceed initial growth estimates, Kuo said.

Lawmakers, citing ministry data, said that the development of the AI industry is expected to cause an annual increase in Taiwan’s electricity consumption of about 3 percent.

Electricity supply could become tighter if six AI data centers are built by the end of next year, Kuo said.

If additional generation capacity is needed, priority would be given to solar, as it is the quickest solution, with other options including hydroelectric power, he said.

However, Taiwan would “not build any more coal-fired power plants,” he added.

The nation’s power supply is expected to remain stable until at least 2030, Kuo told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES