Exports from the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) rose 10.9 percent year-on-year in the third quarter to NT$178.48 billion (US$6.09 billion), the park administration said yesterday.
Sequentially, third-quarter exports expanded 8.02 percent from the second quarter, the administration said in an e-mailed statement.
The administration attributed the positive results to rising global demand for chips used in mobile devices and flat panels used in TVs, despite the lingering debt crisis in Europe and the slow recovery of the global economy.
“The wafer foundries in the Hsinchu Science Park have seen increases in their sales due to rush orders for chips used in smart mobile devices,” the administration said in the statement.
For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has recently reported strong demand for its 28-nanometer (nm) process technology wafers from its clients. On Oct. 9, TSMC reported its third-quarter revenue grew 10.4 percent sequentially to NT$141.38 billion, setting an all-time high.
“TSMC has expanded its production capacity [to meet the need of its clients] and its yield rate for 28nm technology has increased in the third quarter,” the administration said, indicating that the Hsinchu-based firm may further increase its market share and beat sales forecasts.
The administration said the annual Golden Week holiday in China, which began on Oct. 1, also helped boost demand for flat panels used in TVs, adding that the market has expected major flat-panel makers to swing into profit in the fourth quarter from the third quarter.
Imports in the third quarter rose 12.1 percent to NT$91.78 billion. Overall, the park's two-way trade totaled NT$270.26 billion in the third quarter, the administration said.
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