Taiwan’s September export orders hit record US$114.21 billion as technology demand surged
Orders rose 62.4% from a year earlier, led by information technology products and electronic components. Officials forecast another strong month in October.
Taiwan’s export orders rose 62.4% from a year earlier to a monthly record of US$114.21 billion in September, the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported on October 20. Strong demand for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cloud services drove the increase, according to the Taipei Times. The result matters for Taiwan’s manufacturers because orders for technology products and electronic components accounted for much of the month’s growth.
It was the 20th consecutive month of annual increases and exceeded the ministry’s forecast of 50.7% to 55.1% growth. September was also the second straight month with orders above US$100 billion, after August’s US$103 billion, Reuters reported in an account carried by Traders Union.
Technology orders led September’s increase
Orders for information and communication technology products jumped 87.3% to US$43.88 billion. Department of Statistics Director-General Huang Wei-jie attributed that growth to AI, data centers, cloud services and consumer electronics, including new smartphone models, the Taipei Times reported. Orders for electronic components rose 71% to US$47.42 billion, supported by demand for chip design, distribution and manufacturing services, as well as memory products.
The gains were uneven across product groups. Optoelectronic orders fell 5.6% to US$1.97 billion as demand for flat-panel products slowed. Machinery orders, by contrast, increased 21.5% to US$2.19 billion amid semiconductor capacity expansion and demand for automation equipment. Base-metal orders rose 29.7% to US$2.43 billion, with Huang citing demand for copper foil and copper-clad laminates used in the AI supply chain.
Chemical-product orders increased 22.8% to US$1.71 billion, helped by higher petrochemical prices amid rising fuel costs. Orders for plastic and rubber products climbed 11.4% to US$1.53 billion, according to the Taipei Times. These increases show that the month’s rise extended beyond the two largest technology categories, even though technology demand was the main driver of the record.
Ministry forecasts strong October orders
Orders in the first nine months of 2026 reached US$819.2 billion, up 56% from a year earlier and already above the previous year’s full-year total, the Taipei Times reported. Huang forecast October orders of US$112.5 billion to US$115.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 62% to 67%. That range is the ministry’s outlook for October, following September’s reported result.
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Sources and context
- Export orders set monthly recordTaipei Times
- Taiwan export orders extend AI-led surge to new record in SeptemberTraders Union (reporting attributed to Reuters)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.