TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s export orders climbed to a record NT$23.52 trillion (US$743.7 billion) last year, driven largely by AI demand, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Tuesday.

The ministry said full-year export orders jumped 26% year on year, surpassing NT$22.14 trillion for the first time and coming within striking distance of NT$23.72 trillion, per UDN.

MOEA Statistics Department Director Huang Wei-chieh (黃偉傑) said AI demand acted as a “beacon of light” amid global tariff uncertainty. He added that traditional industries were weighed down by China’s excess production capacity and weak global demand.

Huang said the AI momentum is expected to carry into this year, with January export orders forecast to exceed NT$2.21 trillion for the first time on record and monthly orders likely to stay above that level throughout the year, except for February due to Lunar New Year effects.

Information and communications products and electronic products both set annual records, reaching NT$7.38 trillion and NT$9.22 trillion, and together accounted for more than 92% of the NT$4.85 trillion increase in export orders from 2024.

By market, orders from the US and ASEAN hit record highs, driven by AI-related demand and supply-chain shifts. Growth in orders from China remained modest amid a still-uneven economic recovery.