Use wechat scan QR code < / P > < p > to share with friends and circle of friends < / P > < p > < / P > < p > April 9 news, more than 90% of the world's advanced < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E8%8A%AF%E7%89%87 "> chip < / a > by < a target ="_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E5%8F%B0%E6%B9%BE%E7%9C%81 "> Taiwan Province < / a > OEM manufacturers, whose products account for a large share of the global iPhone and other electronic products, are also crucial to the local economy. Under the severe drought in Taiwan, the authorities cut off irrigation systems for a large number of farmland in order to ensure water supply for chip manufacturers' factories. < / P > < p > although the Taiwan authorities are compensating farmers for their losses, the latter are worried that the setback in the harvest will prompt customers to look for other suppliers, which may lead to years of sluggish earnings. "The government is using money to shut our mouths," complained the affected farmers < / P > < p > local officials said that the drought was the most serious drought in Taiwan in more than half a century, which also exposed that Taiwan's < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E5%8D%8A%E5%AF%BC%E4%BD%93 "> semiconductor < / a > industry is facing great challenges. In the global supply chain of smart phones, automobiles and other key cornerstones of modern life, the semiconductor industry is increasingly becoming an indispensable node. < / P > < p > chip manufacturers use a lot of water to clean their factories and wafers (that is, the silicon wafers that form the basis of the chip). As the global semiconductor supply has been extremely short due to the surge in demand for electronic products, the water shortage crisis can not alleviate people's excessive dependence on Taiwan for the technology industry (especially < a target = "_ blank" href=" https://news.163.com/news/search?keyword=%E5%8F%B0%E7%A7%AF%E7%94%B5 "> TSMC < / a >) is worried about manufacturing chips. &More than 90% of the world's advanced chips are made in Taiwan Province, especially TSMC, which makes chips for apple, Intel and other big brands. TSMC said last week that it would invest $100 billion in the next three years to increase production capacity, which could further strengthen its dominant position in the market. < p > < p > TSMC said that the drought has not affected its production so far. But with less rainfall in Taiwan Province, more and more efforts have to be made to maintain water supply. < / P > < p > in recent months, < p > Taiwan authorities have dispatched airplanes to spread and burn chemicals over the reservoir, built a desalination plant in Hsinchu, where TSMC headquarters is located, and built pipelines connecting the city with abundant rivers in the north. Taiwan Province also ordered industries to cut water consumption. In some places, the water pressure has been lowered and the water supply has been cut off for two days a week. Many companies, including TSMC, have started using water trucks to deliver water from other places. However, the most radical measure taken by Taiwan Province is to cut off a large number of farmland irrigation systems, which affects about 74000 hectares of farmland, accounting for about one fifth of Taiwan's irrigated land. "TSMC and the semiconductor companies are not suffering from water shortage at all," said Tian Shoushi, 63, a Hsinchu rice grower < / P > < p > local officials defended the government's policy, saying severe drought meant poor harvests even with irrigation facilities. If the scarce water resources are transferred to farms instead of factories and households, it will lead to "double losses". When asked about farmers' water use, a TSMC spokesman said: "efficient water use is very important for every industry and company." TSMC is also involved in a project to improve irrigation efficiency, he said. < / P > < p > the last time Taiwan shut down irrigation systems on a large scale in order to save water was in 2015, and similar measures were taken in 2004. You Jingyun, a professor of civil engineering at Taiwan University, said: "if the same situation happens again in two or three years, then we can conclude that Taiwan is definitely entering an era of serious water shortage. For now, we need to continue to observe. " < / P > < p > according to TSMC, its facilities in Hsinchu consumed 63000 tons of water per day in 2019, accounting for more than 10% of the water supply of the two local reservoirs. TSMC recovered more than 86% of the water used in the manufacturing process in that year, and saved 3.6 million tons of water over the previous year by increasing recycling and adopting other new measures. However, compared with the consumption of 63 million tons of water in its plants in 2019, this figure is still very small. < / P > < p > Guo Yuling, a business partner of Zhuang chengdeng, a farmer in Hsinchu, does not like to demonize the semiconductor industry. "If the development of Hsinchu Science and technology park had not been as it is today, we would not have come here to do business," she said She said that TSMC's engineers are their important customers. But Guo said it was also wrong to accuse farmers of contributing little to the economy and wasting water resources. < / P > < p > Wang Xiaowen, a professor of hydraulic engineering at Chenggong University in Taiwan, said that the "biggest problem" behind Taiwan's water supply is that the government keeps water charges too low, which encourages waste. That's about 75 gallons of water per person per day in Taiwan, which is lower than most households in Western Europe. "The increase in water prices has a great impact on the more vulnerable groups in society, so we are very cautious in the adjustment," a government official said < / P > < p > the southwest of Taiwan Province is not only an agricultural hinterland, but also a new industrial center. TSMC's most advanced chip facilities are located in the southern city of Tainan. Now, some parts of the nearby reservoir have become streams, and even the bottom has been exposed. < / P > < p > in agricultural towns near Tainan, many farmers say they are content to live on government subsidies, at least for now. But they are also thinking about their own future. The public in Taiwan seems to have decided that rice cultivation is not as important as semiconductors for both Taiwan and the world, which seems to be forcing them to change careers. (small) < / P > < p >