Environment & Energy

The issue of who gets water and who doesn’t was highlighted during Taiwan’s two most recent drought crises, in 2021 and 2023, in which semiconductor manufacturers fell into direct competition with Taiwanese farmers. In 2021, as Taiwan’s reservoirs dropped to record low levels, fabs in Taichung and further south were ordered to reduce their water consumption by 15%. TSMC had to truck water from the north of the island to its fabs in the drought-stricken south to keep them running. In 2023, fabs in southern Taiwan had to reduce their water consumption again by 10%.