Threats to Energy Infrastructure and AI: The Taiwan Energy and Climate Security Partnership
This project examines threats to energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence through the lens of Taiwan’s evolving energy security landscape. It builds on insights generated by the Fall 2025 Penn Global Seminar Energy Security and Geopolitics, which explored the role of renewable energy in strengthening Taiwan’s resilience amid potential conflict with mainland China and included field research in Taiwan. The seminar and accompanying travel highlighted broader implications of the Taiwan case for understanding the intersection of energy infrastructure, AI, climate security, and geopolitics, with relevance extending well beyond Taiwan.
The project is grounded in an established network of high-level Taiwanese policymakers—including ministers, vice ministers, and senior government officials—developed through prior engagement in Taiwan. These relationships provide exceptional access to policy perspectives and expertise that will inform the research. The proposed work also builds on a previous Kleinman Center-funded project comparing security-driven renewable energy investment in Europe and Taiwan. That research demonstrated the strategic significance and complexity of the Taiwan case, particularly regarding AI, and laid the foundation for this distinct effort. By pursuing more focused research questions and strengthening long-term collaboration with Taiwanese and University of Pennsylvania partners, the project aims to generate policy-relevant scholarship that contributes to ongoing academic and public debates on energy security, AI, and geopolitical resilience.
Scott Moore
Practice Professor, Political ScienceScott Moore is a faculty fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and Managing Director of Global Initiatives, Research, and Strategy. He is also a practice professor of political science.
