“From 2015 to 2019, TSMC’s total water consumption surged by an astonishing 70 percent,” observed a 2024 Diplomat piece on TSMC’s water needs. Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei TimesOne goal of water policy for the semiconductor industry is to conceal its actual consumption. When this was revised in 2019-2020, semiconductor industry water consumption skyrocketed (review the quote from the Diplomat above). Many observers of the semiconductor industry view it, falsely, as a “silicon shield” that helps protect Taiwan. This mantra recasts semiconductor industry needs as national security needs, downgrading the competing needs of less powerful industries.
