Taiwanese exports last month surged to an all-time high, buoyed by robust global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, early stocking of next-generation mobile devices and accelerated shipments ahead of potential US tariff changes, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.
Outbound shipments rose 23.5 percent year-on-year to US$53.32 billion, marking the 20th straight month of expansion, led by advanced tech components and high-end servers used in AI applications, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a news conference in Taipei.
“The performance can only be described as red-hot, bucking the usual seasonal lull,” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
The strong momentum is expected to extend into this month, with export growth projected at 15 to 20 percent based on recent imports of key electronic components intended for exports, she said.
Technology products remained the dominant force, with electronics and information and communications technology (ICT) goods accounting for more than 72 percent of total exports.
Orders for high-performance chips and AI servers soared, fueled by a global surge in data center investment, Tsai said.
The US overtook China as Taiwan’s largest export destination last month for a second straight month, as American tech giants — Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Corp and Google parent Alphabet Inc — ramped up spending on AI infrastructure, she said.
The shift also reflects ongoing realignment in the global tech supply chain, as Taiwanese firms comply with US restrictions on advanced tech exports to China, she said.
While tech exports powered ahead, traditional industries continued to lag. Textiles, plastics, chemicals and transport equipment all posted year-on-year declines, pointing to persistent weakness in broader global demand and excess supply in some sectors, Tsai said.
Meanwhile, imports last month rose 17.3 percent to US$41.26 billion, driven largely by surging purchases of capital equipment, the ministry said.
Semiconductor firms led the way, with spending on production tools soaring 90.4 percent from a year earlier.
The resulting trade surplus widened 157 percent to US$12.07 billion, evidence that Taiwan needs to try harder to appease Washington in tackling trade imbalances. The AI boom has been a key driver of Taiwan’s strong trade performance.
Second-quarter exports jumped 34.1 percent — outpacing government forecasts by nearly 7 percentage points — indicating upside risk to GDP growth projections, the ministry said.
For the first half of the year, exports rose 25.9 percent to US$283.26 billion, while imports climbed 20.5 percent to US$227.56 billion.
Among Asia’s key exporters, Taiwan posted the fastest year-on-year growth, outperforming China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Still, the ministry warned of potential headwinds in the second half, citing lingering uncertainties over US tariffs, global interest rate policies, and possible weakness in consumer electronics demand.
After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia Corp proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence (AI) stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond the most-advanced chips TSMC makes for Nvidia. Subthemes from the deepening memory crunch to advances in robotics are also luring bids. At the same time, investment caps on single stocks are pushing funds to diversify, while retail investors long familiar with TSMC through its US depositary receipts are being offered a broader set of
Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV yesterday said that it is planning to hire an additional 1,000 people in Taiwan this year in response to growing demand from clients. ASML had previously planned to recruit 600 people this year, but that the plan has been adjusted upward, ASML vice president and ASML Taiwan general manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) told reporters. ASML has a workforce of more than 4,500 in Taiwan, accounting for about 10 percent of its global total, Wang said. This year’s recruitment campaign would focus on adding people in the customer support, manufacturing and supply chain domains to assist ASML
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
Nvidia Corp yesterday announced that CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) would attend an employee meeting in Taipei tomorrow to celebrate the launch of the company’s Taiwan headquarters project. Huang would attend a gathering at the site of Nvidia’s planned headquarters in Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區), the company said in a statement. After arriving in Taiwan on Saturday last week, Huang told reporters that he plans to meet with Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), and would attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters tomorrow. Nvidia has not yet applied
RSS