Export orders expanded 23.8 percent year-over-year to US$63.9 billion last month, driven by strong demand for information and communication technology (ICT) products amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
It marked the 13th consecutive month of annual growth in export orders, the ministry’s data showed. Last month’s export orders also exceeded the ministry’s estimate of between US$56.3 billion and US$58.3 billion.
Orders received in the first two months of this year jumped 41.3 percent annually to US$140.78 billion, hitting the highest for the period, ministry data showed.
Photo: CNA
The better-than-expected performance was due to robust demand for electronic components and ICT products — particularly semiconductors, memory and servers — while seasonal factors had a smaller impact than anticipated, Department of Statistics Director-General Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑) told a news conference in Taipei.
Export orders for this month are expected to surge 42 percent year-on-year to about US$78 billion, potentially marking a record high, Huang said.
Orders in the first quarter are expected to grow between 40.3 percent and 41.5 percent year-on-year to between US$216.8 billion and US$218.8 billion, Huang said.
The second quarter is likely to record higher orders than the traditionally weak season in the first quarter, he said.
The Middle East conflict did not have a noticeable impact on export orders last month, as it began late in the month, Huang said.
Orders for electronic components rose 50.7 percent year-on-year to US$58.84 billion in January and last month altogether, driven by increasing adoption of emerging technologies that boosted IC and memory chip orders, Huang said.
Orders for ICT products surged 76.8 percent annually to US$47.87 billion, due to increased demand for servers and networking devices linked to significant infrastructure investment by the world’s major cloud service providers, the ministry said.
Orders for optoelectronic products climbed 2.1 percent year-over-year to US$3.38 billion in the first two months of this year, supported by strong demand for semiconductor inspection equipment, ministry data showed.
Orders for machinery products rose 20.6 percent annually to US$3.66 billion in January and last month, attributable to rising demand from semiconductor companies.
However, traditional industries lagged last month, with orders for plastic and rubber products falling 4.4 percent year-on-year to US$2.62 billion due to oversupply and sluggish demand.
Base metal orders rose 0.7 percent to US$3.66 billion and chemical product orders declined 7 percent to US$2.46 billion, ministry data showed.
China’s overcapacity remains a concern, particularly for chemicals segment, Huang said.
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