Taiwan’s Power Play: How Nan Ya and Rockwell Are Building the Backbone for AI Data Centers

Rockwell Automation, Nan Ya Plastics (南亞), and Monisun Electricity Technology (曉暘電能科技) have signed a trilateral memorandum of intent to deploy smart power distribution systems across Taiwan's critical industries. The announcement came on the 29th. The first application will target a specific project at Formosa Plastics Group's (台塑企業) Mailiao industrial complex, with expansion planned for AI data centers, semiconductor supply chains, petrochemical facilities, and healthcare.

The partnership reflects a structural shift underway in Taiwan's industrial economy: electrical infrastructure, long relegated to back-end facility support, is being elevated into a critical battleground affecting production line stability, energy efficiency, and operational resilience.

Under the agreement, Nan Ya will integrate Rockwell Automation's modular distribution hardware, Rockii Master software platform, and smart motor assemblies into its switchboard product line.Monisun Electricity Technology — which has operated in the power sector for over 30 years and maintained a working relationship with Rockwell Automation for nearly 15 years — will serve as the system integrator, bridging hardware installation with real-world industrial site requirements.

This is not a straightforward equipment supply arrangement. The collaboration links international automation technology, Nan Ya's domestic switchboard manufacturing capacity, andMonisun's systems integration expertise into a unified smart power architecture with enhanced connectivity, visual management capabilities, and early-warning mechanisms.

Charles Sai Wang Tam(譚世宏) , General Manager of Rockwell Automation Taiwan, noted that under the dual pressures of digital transformation and energy transition, electrical infrastructure is evolving from traditional equipment toward intelligent integration. He said that by combining hardware and software technology with local services through this collaboration with Nan Ya and Monisun, the partnership would "accelerate smart power solutions on the ground and help enterprises build safer, more sustainable, and more resilient critical infrastructure."

For Nan Ya, the strategic significance extends well beyond a product upgrade. The company has positioned itself as Taiwan's leading switchboard manufacturer through decades of equipment manufacturing and multi-sector service experience. With AI data centers and semiconductor fabrication driving demand for high-reliability power systems, smart switchboards represent what company executives describe as the next major growth driver.

Nan Ya Associate Director Chen Han-jin (陳漢津) said the trilateral collaboration would push distribution solutions "from traditional manufacturing toward high added value," building a smart switchboard factory capable of meeting stringent market requirements while maintaining local manufacturing competence and regulatory compliance, Chen said.

Nan Ya has projected that the partnership will increase its smart switchboard revenues by three to five times. The company intends to expand applications into AI data centers, semiconductors, electronics, healthcare, and overseas markets.

Switchboards, once regarded as basic industrial equipment, are gradually being reclassified from a cost line item into a critical investment supporting industrial expansion, as power density requirements in advanced manufacturing continue to rise.

​Monisun Electricity Technology brings roughly 15 years of accumulated collaboration with Rockwell Automation to the arrangement. Its primary function in this structure is translating technical specifications into deployable on-site solutions — ensuring that hardware and software components meet the operational demands of industrial environments.

​Monisun Chairman Chen Chih-ching (陳志清) said the company and Rockwell Automation had jointly led grid optimization initiatives over that period, and that the three-way partnership would deepen technical integration further. He expressed expectations that incorporating Nan Ya's advanced manufacturing processes would improve energy efficiency and operational resilience across the combined solution, Chen said.

The technology stack centers on Rockwell Automation's CUBIC modular distribution system and Rockii Master software. CUBIC employs standardized modular design, allowing panel dimensions and configuration to be adjusted dynamically according to site-specific requirements. Compared with conventional switchboard wiring approaches, the system is designed to reduce engineering complexity during installation and lower both initial capital costs and long-term total cost of ownership.

The system incorporates enhanced cybersecurity features and predictive equipment diagnostics, and is certified to international standard IEC 61439. When paired with smart motor control centers, EtherNet/IP networking, and the Rockii Master software layer, operators gain real-time access to equipment data — enabling a transition from reactive maintenance to active monitoring and visual management.

As AI computing demand continues to rise, sectors including data centers, semiconductor fabrication, electronics, petrochemicals, and healthcare face increasingly stringent requirements for stable power supply and energy management. The Mailiao project represents the initial deployment, but its replicability across other high-specification power environments will determine whether smart switchboards become structural infrastructure for Taiwan's industrial upgrade — or remain a niche solution. （Related： Taiwan Semiconductor Output to Hit $222 Billion in 2026, Powered by AI Chips and HBM ｜ Latest ）

For Nan Ya, the partnership creates a channel connecting its existing manufacturing capabilities to AI data center procurement cycles, semiconductor supply chain requirements, and overseas market demand. For Taiwan's industrial sector more broadly, the central question this deal poses is institutional: as advanced manufacturing and AI applications continue to raise power density requirements, the capacity to build electrical systems that are safer, more intelligent, and more resilient is emerging as a key dimension of industrial competitiveness in the next phase of development.