Taiwan's information technology industry is expected to post nearly 12 percent growth over last year, a government-funded market research center said yesterday.
"The nation's IT industry production value is estimated to rise 11.9 percent this year to US$47.845 billion compared to last year, with growth in the sector expected to remain steady over the next few years," said Victor Tsan (
Year-on-year IT growth is forecast to hit 8.9 percent next year and 9.9 percent in 2004, he said.
"With the global economy expected to rebound in the third quarter of next year, Taiwan will benefit," Tsan said.
According to the IMF, the global GDP is expected to reach 3.7 percent next year, up from 2.8 percent this year and 2.5 percent last year.
Tsan made the remarks while releasing the research group's report on the outlook for Taiwan's IT industry.
Taiwan is estimated to have exported 86.6 million motherboards this year, accounting for 75 percent of global sales.
In addition, the nation produces 62 percent of the world's notebooks and will churn out 30 million units this year, the report said.
According to the report, liquid crystal monitors, digital still cameras and projectors are estimated to see a 30 percent, 31 percent and 35 percent increase in production value, respectively, next year.
"Projectors may be the next hot item," said John Chao (
Demand for the devices will grow as an increasing number of computer companies are integrating projectors with notebook PCs, he said.
Local projector makers such as Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) and BenQ Corp (明基電通) may benefit from this trend, Chao said.
The center, meanwhile, reported that South Korea is gaining on Taiwan as a major competitor.
South Korea's IT production value is expected to see tremendous growth this year, surging 23.8 percent over last year, "making it the second-fastest-growing IT-producing nation, lagging only behind China," Tsan said.
Like Taiwan, South Korea is moving away from producing low-end products and toward making high-tech items. The nation is also investing heavily in research and development, he said.
"South Korean companies are rapidly gaining OEM [original equipment manufacturer] orders as well as marketing their own brands," Tsan said.
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