"Securing Power Quickly is Key... Renewable Energy is the Fastest Way"

[Anchor]

As demand for semiconductors surges in the AI era, Korean companies are facing an urgent need to secure a stable power supply. The vice president of SEMI, a global association representing the semiconductor industry, has proposed a solution in an exclusive interview with SBS, a first for a South Korean media outlet.

This report comes from Climate and Environment Correspondent Jang Se-man.

[Reporter]

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

Apple announced that it would require not only itself but also its suppliers to use 100 percent renewable energy.

In November of the same year, SK Hynix declared its commitment to RE100, followed by Samsung Electronics two years later.

[Soojin / Former Vice President at Samsung Electronics (2022): "(Samsung Electronics) plans to do its utmost to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050."]

At the request of the government and the ruling party to offer advice on surging power demand driven by projects such as the Honam semiconductor cluster, 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.

Starting his first interview with South Korean media, he made the following remarks:

[Ajit Manocha / Vice President, SEMI (Note: Uusmani translated phonetically from original text): AI is growing at an unprecedented scale. All of our power projections made three years ago have already been surpassed.]

He repeatedly emphasized the importance of securing electricity quickly.

[Ajit Manocha / Vice President, SEMI: Chips are produced where the power is. And the speed of securing power is the speed to market for semiconductors.]

He noted that not only renewable energy but also nuclear power is considered low-carbon, clean energy, adding that the choice is up to South Korea.

[Ajit Manocha / Vice President, SEMI: You need clean energy (such as renewables or nuclear) right now. The easiest and fastest way is through renewable energy sources (among them, solar and wind).]

Regarding criticisms that Meta in the U.S. has withdrawn from RE100 and even turned to gas-fired power generation, SEMI officials noted that while companies are taking diverse approaches, the semiconductor industry's overarching commitment to low-carbon energy remains clear. They projected that South Korea will also be able to narrow the low-carbon energy gap.

(Camera Reporter: Joo Beom | Video Editor: Lee Hong-myung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.