TSMC taps wind power as AI chip demand soars, Taiwan feels energy crunch
TSMC taps wind power as AI chip demand soars, Taiwan feels energy crunch
台積電搶攻風電以應對 AI 晶片需求激增，台灣面臨能源緊繃
Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC is raking in record profits during the AI boom—but it is also racing to help Taiwan develop wind power and other energy alternatives to fossil fuels amid a global energy crisis. 在 AI 熱潮下，台灣晶片製造商台積電（TSMC）正獲取創紀錄的利潤，但同時，在全球能源危機的背景下，該公司也正競相協助台灣發展風力發電及其他替代化石燃料的能源。
The chipmaker has signed a 30-year corporate power purchase agreement for 100 percent of the power produced by the Hai Long offshore wind project. The deal between TSMC and Northland Power, a Canada-based global power producer, covers more than 1 gigawatt of power capacity at three offshore wind sites located off the western coast of central Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait, according to an April 30 announcement. 根據 4 月 30 日的公告，台積電已簽署一份為期 30 年的企業購電協議，將全數收購「海龍離岸風電計畫」所產生的電力。這項由台積電與加拿大全球電力生產商北陸能源（Northland Power）達成的協議，涵蓋了位於台灣海峽中西部沿海三個離岸風場、總計超過 1 吉瓦（GW）的發電容量。
Once completed, the Hai Long offshore wind project would have the capacity to power the equivalent of more than 1 million Taiwanese households. The project’s wind farms began supplying power to Taiwan’s grid in 2025 and are scheduled to become fully operational by 2027. 海龍離岸風電計畫一旦完工，其發電量將足以供應超過 100 萬戶台灣家庭的用電需求。該計畫的風場已於 2025 年開始向台灣電網供電，預計於 2027 年全面投入運作。
TSMC’s move comes as many countries have scrambled to shore up energy supplies after the war in the Middle East disrupted regional energy production and effectively halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. When Qatar shut down natural gas production after its facilities were damaged by Iranian drone strikes in March 2026, Bloomberg reported that Taiwan’s power grid lost one-third of its usual supply of liquefied natural gas. 台積電此舉正值全球多國因中東戰爭擾亂區域能源生產、並實質阻斷荷姆茲海峽航運而急於鞏固能源供應之際。據彭博社報導，2026 年 3 月，卡達因設施遭伊朗無人機襲擊而關閉天然氣生產，導致台灣電網損失了三分之一的液化天然氣常規供應。
That started an energy crunch countdown, because Taiwan relies on natural gas plants to generate about half of its electricity—and Taiwan typically has just two weeks of fuels in reserve. So far, Taiwan’s government has managed to stave off energy shortages by tapping alternative natural gas suppliers like Australia and the United States, Reuters reported. 這引發了能源緊繃的倒數計時，因為台灣約有一半的電力依賴天然氣發電，且通常僅有兩週的燃料儲備。據路透社報導，目前台灣政府已透過尋求澳洲和美國等替代天然氣供應商，成功避免了能源短缺。
During an energy forum on May 6, Taiwan’s vice minister of economic affairs said that the government had secured enough oil and gas supplies to operate normally through August and possibly September, according to Taiwan News. But the global energy crisis is also spurring the Taiwanese administration of President Lai Ching-te to accelerate efforts to develop fossil fuel alternatives, including restarting shuttered nuclear power plants and building out renewable power projects. 據《台灣英文新聞》（Taiwan News）報導，在 5 月 6 日的一場能源論壇上，台灣經濟部次長表示，政府已確保足夠的油氣供應，可維持正常運作至 8 月，甚至可能延續至 9 月。然而，全球能源危機也促使賴清德總統領導的政府加速發展化石燃料替代方案，包括重啟已關閉的核電廠以及擴建再生能源計畫。
Taiwan relies on imported fossil fuels to meet nearly 97 percent of its overall energy needs, including electricity, transport, and heating, according to the Global Taiwan Institute, a think tank based in Washington, DC. As part of its energy diversification efforts, Taiwan has pushed to expand offshore wind power with a government plan to make 15 gigawatts of capacity available to developers by 2035. 根據華盛頓特區智庫「全球台灣研究中心」（Global Taiwan Institute）的數據，台灣近 97% 的整體能源需求（包括電力、交通和供暖）依賴進口化石燃料。作為能源多元化努力的一部分，台灣已推動擴大離岸風電，政府計畫在 2035 年前向開發商提供 15 吉瓦的發電容量。
Meanwhile, TSMC has announced that it would aim for renewable energy to meet 60 percent of its global operations’ needs by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040. TSMC plays an outsize role in shaping Taiwan’s energy future, given the energy consumption of its chip fabs. 與此同時，台積電已宣布目標在 2030 年前將再生能源使用比例提升至全球營運需求的 60%，並於 2040 年達到 100%。鑑於其晶片廠的能源消耗量，台積電在塑造台灣能源未來方面扮演著舉足輕重的角色。
The chipmaker’s energy needs accounted for nearly 10 percent of Taiwan’s total electricity consumption in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency’s report on energy and AI. That share could grow to nearly one-quarter of Taiwan’s overall electricity usage by 2030 as TSMC invests in more energy-intensive manufacturing to meet global AI demand for advanced chips, according to S&P Global estimates cited by Data Center Dynamics. 根據國際能源總署（IEA）關於能源與 AI 的報告，2023 年台積電的能源需求約佔台灣總用電量的 10%。據《資料中心動態》（Data Center Dynamics）引用的標普全球（S&P Global）估計，隨著台積電為滿足全球對先進晶片的 AI 需求而投入更多高耗能製造，這一比例到 2030 年可能會成長至台灣總用電量的近四分之一。
Beyond the Hai Long project, TSMC previously signed another power purchase agreement with the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted in 2020 for 920 megawatts of power from the Greater Changhua offshore wind farm project, which is expected to become fully operational later in 2026. The chipmaker also struck a deal with German renewable energy developer WPD in 2021 to develop more than 1 gigawatt of onshore and offshore wind power. 除了海龍計畫外，台積電先前曾於 2020 年與丹麥再生能源公司沃旭能源（Ørsted）簽署另一份購電協議，採購大彰化離岸風電計畫 920 兆瓦（MW）的電力，該計畫預計於 2026 年稍晚全面投入運作。此外，台積電亦於 2021 年與德國再生能源開發商達德能源（WPD）達成協議，共同開發超過 1 吉瓦的陸域與離岸風電。