- 2025 full-year orders at record $743.73 billion
- Dec export orders +43.8% y/y vs +36.3% Reuters poll forecast
- Orders from China +15.0% y/y vs +17.6% in prior month
- Ministry sees January orders between +45.7% and +49.9% y/y
- Ministry cautious about impact of US trade policy, geopolitical risks
TAIPEI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Taiwan's export orders broke a record in 2025 on surging demand for artificial intelligence technology, the government said on Tuesday, with expectations that the momentum could extend well into 2026.
Total export orders for 2025 rose 26% from a year earlier to $743.73 billion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. The ministry also reported that orders in December jumped 43.8% from a year earlier, surpassing analysts' expectations for a 36.3% rise.
That marked the 11th consecutive monthly increase in export orders.
Orders from TSMC, and other tech companies in Taiwan are considered a bellwether of global technology demand.
TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, offered an impressive earnings report last week, exceeding forecasts with a 35% jump in fourth-quarter profit.
For January, the ministry said it expected export orders to rise 45.7% to 49.9% from a year earlier.
But uncertainties, including trade policies and geopolitical risks, continue to weigh on global trade momentum, the ministry said.
It said it expects sustained momentum for Taiwan export orders ahead, as new fields like AI and high-performance computing continue to expand.
Taiwan's orders in December for telecoms products were up 88.1% from a year earlier, while those for electronic products jumped 39.9%.
Overall orders from China rose 15% versus a 17.6% gain in November.
Orders from the U.S. jumped 55.3%, following a 56.1% gain a month earlier. Orders from Europe were up 47%, while those from Japan rose 26.3%.
Reporting by Faith Hung and Jeanny Kao; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Thomas Derpinghaus
Source: Reuters