Exclusive: Speed of Securing Power Is Key... Renewable Energy Is Fastest

[Anchor]

As semiconductor demand surges in the AI era, Korean companies face an urgent need to secure stable power supplies. The vice president of SEMI, a global semiconductor industry association, met with SBS in his first interview with a Korean media outlet to propose solutions.

Here is Climate and Environment Specialist Reporter Jang Se-man.

[Reporter]

When Apple expanded its RE100 declaration in July 2020, the shockwaves reached Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Apple demanded that not only its own operations but also its suppliers use 100 percent renewable energy.

SK Hynix joined the RE100 initiative in November of that year, followed by Samsung Electronics two years later.

[Kim Soo-jin / Former Vice President, Samsung Electronics (in 2022): "(Samsung Electronics) plans to do its utmost to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050."]

At the request of the government and the ruling party for recommendations regarding the rapidly surging electricity demand driven by projects like the Honam semiconductor complex, the vice president of SEMI visited South Korea.

SEMI is an organization representing 4,000 member companies, including global semiconductor manufacturers and big tech firms such as Apple and Google.

In his first interview with South Korean media, he began with the following remarks:

[Manoaj Usmani / Vice President, SEMI: "AI is growing at an unprecedented scale. All of our power projections from three years ago have already been surpassed."]

He repeatedly emphasized the importance of securing electricity quickly.

[Manoaj Usmani / Vice President, SEMI: "Chips are made where the power is. And the speed of securing power is the speed to market."]

He noted that both nuclear energy and renewables qualify as low-carbon, clean energy, and stated that the choice is up to South Korea.

[Manoaj Usmani / Vice President, SEMI: "You need clean energy (like renewables or nuclear) right now. The easiest and fastest way to get it is through renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind)."]

Regarding criticisms that Meta has recently stepped back from RE100 and turned to gas power, SEMI responded that while individual companies are taking diverse approaches, the semiconductor industry's overarching commitment to low-carbon energy remains clear. They expressed optimism that South Korea will also be able to narrow its low-carbon energy gap.

(Video Shooting: Joo Bum | Video Editing: Lee Hong-myung)

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