From Energy Governance to Data Sovereignty: Taiwan's Strategic Crossroads

Energy is not just about electricity is a question of national governance philosophy―and survival strategy.

At the intersection of Taiwan's energy and technology policy, James Wu stands out as a rare thinker capable of placing "energy governance," "AI data centers," and "national strategy" on the same conceptual map.

He speaks slowly, calmly, with the composure and precision of a systems engineer. When discussing energy transition and data sovereignty, his tone resembles that of someone unravelling a vast and intricate network—from contradictions within government agencies, to the strategic value of subsea cables, to the renewable-energy binding of AI data centers.

"Energy is not just about electricity," he says. "It is a question of national governance philosophy—and long-tern development strategy."

From "Managing Power and Water" to Energy Governance: The Institutional Time Lag

Wu noted that during Taiwan's era of rapid economic growth, society broadly regarded energy as a basic public service—as long as the government ensured stable supplies of electricity and water, it was seen as delivering results. "The thinking of that time was to treat energy purely as a fundamental requirement for people's livelihoods and industrial development, not as a strategic asset," he said.

Beginning with the export-processing zones of the 1960s that laid the foundation for the electronics sector, Taiwan shifted from labor-intensive to technology-intensive industries by the 1980s as semiconductors and information technology took off. Energy consumption surged in tandem. "Back then, no one imagined energy would become part of a national security agenda," Wu remarked. "Today, Taiwan consumes roughly 290 billion kWh annually. Both total electricity consumption and per-capita usage rank among the highest in the world, yet our energy-governance framework has not kept pace."