Taiwan’s statistics bureau released data on August 3 showing the island’s gross domestic product expanded 12.9 percent year-on-year from April to June. The figure followed a 14.6 percent increase in the first quarter and surpassed the median forecast of 10.5 percent compiled by Bloomberg News. Officials attributed the outperformance to sustained overseas orders tied to artificial intelligence servers and advanced chips.
Exports climbed 21.6 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the statistics bureau, largely on the back of AI-related demand. Imports advanced 18.3 percent over the period, reflecting elevated levels of business investment across the technology supply chain. Although the headline growth rate eased from the prior quarter, the bureau’s assessment found underlying momentum remained exceptionally firm.
US trade data shows that semiconductors account for more than 20 percent of Taiwan’s GDP, with the island responsible for roughly 90 percent of the world’s most advanced chips used in leading AI models. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fabricates the majority of these components for customers including NVIDIA, while Foxconn assembles related data center equipment, a trade.gov assessment from late 2025 noted. The sector generated more than 165 billion dollars in revenue during 2024 and maintains over 60 percent of global foundry output.
Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, said continued investment plans by Taiwan’s major semiconductor companies are expected to support further growth. Industry forecasts cited in regional reports project an 11 percent rise in global semiconductor revenue this year on AI infrastructure spending. The comments align with the statistics bureau’s emphasis on external demand as the primary driver of the latest expansion.
A Taiwan Research Institute assessment issued in June raised the full-year 2026 GDP growth forecast to 9.33 percent, citing AI demand as a key factor that offsets external risks. Official figures placed growth for all of 2025 at 8.63 percent, building on an export surge of 34.9 percent that lifted total shipments to 640.7 billion dollars. The institute cautioned that the economy’s heavy reliance on technology leaves it exposed to sector-specific disruptions.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s economy expanded 4.3 percent in the second quarter, according to official data released the same week, supported by a 28.8 percent jump in goods exports linked to the AI boom. Private consumption rose 2.9 percent, though seasonally adjusted output slipped 0.6 percent from the previous quarter. Authorities highlighted ongoing challenges from geopolitical tensions, uncertainty over US monetary policy and rising trade protectionism that could weigh on both economies in the second half of the year.
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