Sales in the computer and information technology (IT) services industry reached a record high of NT$453.4 billion (US$15.7 billion) last year amid a boom in people working from home and remote education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said last week.
Industry revenue last year rose 12.4 percent from a year earlier, Department of Statistics data showed.
The growth was its highest since 2008, the data showed.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
With growing demand for emerging technologies such as 5G applications, high-performance computing and Internet of Things devices, and cloud technology-based data processing services, many enterprises have sought more hardware and software to address cybersecurity concerns, the ministry said on Tuesday.
Computer programming design, consulting and related services were the industry’s major sales growth drivers, with revenue reaching a high of NT$341.4 billion, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, as businesses sought to build storage networks and enhance their data protection, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the IT services segment posted NT$112 billion in revenue, also a record high, up 14.1 percent from a year earlier, largely due to intensive promotions by online auction site operators and social media platforms.
The number of workers in the industry rose 3 percent from a year earlier to 119,000, overcoming an average 0.1 percent decline in the service sector as a whole, the ministry said.
The average regular wage in the industry rose 3.5 percent to NT$69,000, also beating the service industry’s average of NT$45,000, it added.
PATENT PROBE: US lawmakers called for a ban on imports of chips made by TSMC if they are found to infringe on US patents, with a preliminary ruling expected soon Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday expressed confidence in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) compliance with patent regulations after reports linked the company to a patent infringement lawsuit in the US. US Representative Ryan Zinke, and US senators Tim Sheehy, Roger Marshall and Bernie Moreno urged the US International Trade Commission in a May 22 letter to ban imports of chips made by TSMC if they are found to infringe on US patents, Axios reported on Wednesday. An administrative law judge is expected to issue a preliminary ruling this month, with the commission potentially making a final decision in
Infineon Technologies AG is preparing to open its largest single investment, a 5 billion euro (US$5.8 billion) semiconductor factory built with the help of EU subsidies, as the bloc seeks to boost chip production. The power chip fab, which is an extension of the German company’s Dresden campus, is scheduled to open on July 2, Infineon chief operating officer Alexander Gorski said this week at the site. The project is a major recipient of EU Chips Act funds, receiving about 1 billion euros in subsidies. The new plant represents a rare success for the bloc’s flagship semiconductor law, which was drawn up during
Taiwan remained the sixth-largest net creditor nation in the world last year, despite a fall of more than 10 percent in its net international investment position (NIIP) over the year, the central bank said yesterday. The NIIP is the difference between a country’s external financial assets and its external financial liabilities. Taiwan’s external financial assets hit US$3.27 trillion at the end of last year, up US$275.75 billion or 9.2 percent from a year earlier, the central bank said in its annual NIIP report. The growth largely reflected an increase in holdings of overseas marketable securities by residents in Taiwan, as well as a
Poland is betting on a flood of investments and technology transfers from Taiwanese companies to reengineer its US$1 trillion economy. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said yesterday that Poland will no longer be “just an assembly hub” as it pursues further investments from the likes of Foxconn Technology Group (富士康). The firm, whose full name is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), last month agreed to build electric vehicles (EVs) in the European Union nation and now could be a partner in a semiconductor venture, he said. The government’s aim is to boost manufacturing and the country’s high-tech chops in an era
RSS