Taiwan’s export orders surged by 31% year-on-year in February, reaching US$49.45 billion, driven by strong demand for AI and high-performance computing chips, as well as servers.

Additional factors included new smartphone launches, China’s subsidies for consumer electronics, and pre-emptive orders to avoid US tariffs.

The figure exceeded the earlier estimate of US$43.5 billion to US$45.5 billion.

The ministry expects further growth in March, projecting a 10.3% to 14.5% increase, with orders reaching US$52 billion to US$54 billion.

First-quarter export orders are forecasted to rise by 11.3% to 12.8%, totaling US$148.4 billion to US$150.4 billion.

In the first two months of 2025, electronic product orders rose by 21.8% to US$37.35 billion, while information and communications technology product orders increased by 6.1% to US$25.83 billion.

However, non-technology sectors faced challenges due to price competition and overcapacity. Orders for base metals fell by 10.7%, plastics and rubber by 8.3%, and chemicals by 6.9% in the first two months of the year.