Former Intel Corp. Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger has voiced concerns over Taiwan’s strained energy supply, arguing that the challenge underscores the need to shift part of the global semiconductor manufacturing base to the United States.
According to Focus Taiwan, Gelsinger—currently visiting Taipei—said the island is “not in the position to have a resilient energy supply chain,” a vulnerability that he warned places Taiwan’s chip industry “in a very precarious state.” He noted that despite Taiwan’s unrivaled semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, energy-related risks continue to threaten its long-term supply-chain stability.
Speaking at a news conference, Gelsinger emphasized that geographic diversification is critical to bolstering resilience across the global semiconductor ecosystem. He said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)’s ongoing investments in the U.S. are an important part of that shift.
“More of the growth should occur in other geographies,” he said, urging Taiwanese chipmakers to expand their operations in America. “I encourage them to have more advanced nodes and R&D in the U.S.”
However, Gelsinger also acknowledged that Taiwan’s manufacturing strengths remain unmatched, adding that potential U.S. tariffs should not deter the island. “There’s no place like Taiwan, [where] you can have an idea at breakfast, a prototype by lunch, and manufacturing by dinner,” he said.
Gelsinger made the comments while attending an event where his current employer, California-based venture capital firm Playground Global, announced new partnerships with seven technology companies.
As part of these collaborations, Ayar Labs revealed a strategic partnership with Taiwan’s application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) specialist Global Unichip Corp. (GUC) to integrate co-packaged optics (CPO) into GUC’s advanced ASIC design services. Meanwhile, d-Matrix said it is working with TSMC, Alchip Technologies, and packaging-and-testing giant ASE to jointly develop 3D memory-stacking solutions aimed at accelerating advances in artificial intelligence.
