Taiwan’s manufacturing output in the first quarter rose 10.72 percent year-on-year to NT$4.898 trillion (US$162.16 billion), the fifth consecutive quarter of annual growth, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
Three of the six major industries in the manufacturing sector posted output growth during the January-to-March quarter, with the computer and optical products industry reporting the largest increase of 32.99 percent, followed by the electronic components industry with a 23.77 percent rise, the ministry said in a report.
The other three industries posted output decreases, with the vehicle industry leading with a decline of 10.3 percent, followed by a 10.65 percent fall in the base metals industry and a 1.25 percent drop in the chemical materials and fertilizers industry, the report said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Continued demand for artificial intelligence [AI], high-performance computing [HPC] and cloud data services boosted the production momentum of the information technology and electronics industries in the first quarter. However, traditional industries saw reduced production due to market competition and conservative demand, offsetting some of the growth in the overall output,” the ministry said.
The production value of the electronic components industry — the manufacturing sector’s most important segment — reached NT$1.74 trillion, the highest first-quarter figure, thanks to a 29.65 percent rise in semiconductor output and a 6.1 percent growth in the production of flat panels and related components, the report said.
The production value of computer and optical product suppliers soared to NT$447.7 billion, also a record high for the same quarter, due to solid demand for AI applications and cloud data services, it said.
Producers of machinery equipment last quarter posted an output increase of 10.32 percent year-on-year to NT$222.5 billion, as the semiconductor industry’s active expansion of advanced process production drove demand for semiconductor equipment and machinery components, the report said.
For this quarter, the development of AI and HPC technologies, and strong demand for advanced semiconductor chips and high-end servers are expected to continue to support the steady growth of the manufacturing sector, the ministry said.
However, negative factors such as international trade measures and geopolitical conflicts are expected to disrupt the pace of global economic growth and pose uncertainties for Taiwan’s export-reliant manufacturing sector, it said.
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