Following a record year last year, the combined revenue of the nation’s major science parks is expected to grow 8.66 percent to more than NT$4 trillion (US$142.5 billion) this year, attributable to a persistent chip crunch and rising demand for 5G applications, automotive and high-performance computing (HPC) devices, the Ministry of Science and Technology said yesterday.
Last year, manufacturers in the nation’s three science parks registered “explosive growth” of 22.81 percent in combined revenue, from NT$30.28 billion in 2020 to NT$3.72 trillion, the ministry said in a news release.
Semiconductor firms reported the biggest annual growth of 24 percent last year, the ministry said.
Photo: Yang Chin-chieh, Taipei Times
Semiconductor companies are the biggest revenue contributors to the science parks, with a lion’s share of approximately 70 percent.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, contributed about 40 percent to overall revenue generated from the three science parks.
TSMC, headquartered in the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), produces 3-nanometer and 5-nanometer chips, as well as less advanced chips, such as auto chips, in the science parks.
Revenue from the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) and Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) last year climbed to NT$1.35 trillion and NT$1.09 trillion respectively, both reaching more than NT$1 trillion for the first time, ministry data showed.
Hsinchu Science Park revenue soared 27.66 percent to NT$1.59 trillion.
The number of workers in the three science parks grew 4.68 percent annually to 301,722 last year — an all-time high.
“Looking into 2022, the recovering global economy is stimulating demand for 5G applications, automotive electronics, HPC devices and emerging technologies, leading to a growth in revenue from the science parks,” the ministry said. “Higher chip prices driven by chip shortages are adding to the growth.”
To encourage local manufacturers to make inroads in innovative and emerging technologies, the ministry said that it aims to boost research and development spending to account for an 8.73 percent share of local manufacturers’ revenue this year, up from 5.82 percent last year.
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