A backup plan Taiwan's state utility built after a 2022 blackout has turned into the main power supply for its chip and AI industry — good news for Taiwan's tech sector and its power grid.

• After the March 2022 blackout, Taipower started running dedicated lines straight from power plants to science parks instead of routing everything through the crowded north-south trunk line.
• The goal was spreading risk, but it landed just in time for the AI boom and now carries the bulk of power to semiconductor firms.
• Without those lines, moving enough electricity across the grid today would be the biggest problem Taiwan faces.
• AI data centers draw huge amounts of power and swing up and down fast, straining local grids — which is why many countries now restrict where they can be built.
• Taipower's advice on siting: the closer a data center sits to a power plant, the more stable its supply.

Outlook: Expect new AI data centers in Taiwan to cluster near power plants, with grid capacity shaping where the chip industry expands next.