TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s machinery exports reached US$2.97 billion (NT$93.83 billion) in January, signaling a steady recovery, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry said Tuesday.
The association said global economic uncertainty has eased this year despite volatility in exports to the US stemming from US tariff measures, per CNA. With demand stabilizing, it said full-year exports are expected to increase 5% to 10%, while output value is projected to rise by more than 10%, per Liberty Times.
January exports rose 30.3% from US$2.28 billion a year earlier, the association said. In US dollar terms, exports were up 24.9% year on year.
The association said machinery exports have recorded growth for 12 consecutive months since February 2025. Although exports were weaker in January 2025 due to fewer working days during the Lunar New Year holiday, January shipments this year rebounded strongly, reinforcing signs of a sustained recovery.
Driven by demand for AI, high-performance computing, and cloud data services, semiconductor-related equipment exports continued to perform strongly. Exports of electronic equipment and inspection and metrology equipment rose 33.9% and 23.8%, accounting for about 34% of machinery exports.
In contrast, the machine tool sector showed mixed performance. January exports rose 15.7% year on year to US$156 million but fell 11.9% from US$177 million in December.
The association said the stronger Taiwan dollar, combined with sharper depreciation of the Japanese yen and South Korean won, has eroded the cost competitiveness of Taiwan’s machine tools, intensifying competition for overseas orders.
