TSMC has shared energy from its backup power generators with Taiwan’s state-owned power company Taipower to help avoid power outages, according to the Taiwanese newspaper Commercial Times. This follows a recent 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shut down eight power units.
TSMC is the world’s largest specialized independent semiconductor lithography company with a client list that includes AMD, Apple, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm. Taiwan’s largest company has a close relationship with the government, which is also its largest shareholder. This week, the government asked TSMC to provide 200,000 kWh from the company’s backup diesel generators.
Kai Zhiming, a Taipower spokesman, says the need for emergency power was mainly due to the effects of the recent earthquake, which brought eight of the state’s power units to a standstill. The problem has been exacerbated by the island’s seasonal temperature rise, which has led to additional units shutting down.
Taipower has a «tacit agreement» with TSMC, so the semiconductor company provided its power generators without signing a contract. It is standard for Taipower to turn to its largest customers for help when the situation becomes dire. And TSMC came at just the right time — just as Taoyuan, a large suburb of Taipei, suffered a full two-hour power outage on April 16. Taipower emphasizes that TSMC’s power donation did not negatively affect TSMC’s production.
The earthquake that led to the need for additional power sources was the largest in 25 years. Also, the seasonal heat in Taiwan is coming earlier every year.