TAIPEI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan's exports rose more than expected to a record monthly level for a second straight month in September, lifted by demand for the island's AI chips and technology.
The growth in demand comes despite concerns about AI safety, inflation, and increased energy costs from the war between the US and Iran.
Exports last month jumped 60.9% from a year earlier to $87.22 billion after the $82.4 billion achieved in August, the finance ministry said on Thursday.
That beat analysts' forecast for a 45.65% increase and August's 41.0% hike, and marked the 35th straight monthly year-on-year gain.
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Exports to the US surged 106.2% in September from a year earlier to $27.461 billion, while exports to China jumped 30.2%.
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Exports of electronic components rose 45.3% to $31.131 billion, while those of information products jumped 103%.
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Imports were up 51.7% to $63.59 billion, above economists' forecasts for an increase of 43.2%.
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AI applications, high-performance computing and cloud services continued to grow.
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Export growth is expected to extend into the fourth quarter.
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For October, the ministry expects exports to rise 40% to 44% from a year earlier.
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Taiwanese companies including TSMC, , the world's largest maker of advanced chips used to power AI applications, are major suppliers to Nvidia, Apple and other leading tech companies.
Reporting by Faith Hung and Jeanny Kao Editing by David Goodman, Elaine Hardcastle
Source: Reuters