TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s March exports surged 61.8% year on year to NT$2.54 trillion (US$80.18 billion) on the strength of AI products, the Ministry of Finance said Friday.

Not only is it the first time that Taiwan has exported more than US$80 billion worth of goods, but it also marks the 29th consecutive month of increases, per UDN. Imports also set a single-month record at NT$1.87 trillion, an increase of 38.3% from March 2025.

When considering the entire first quarter of 2026, exports rose 51.1% from the same quarter last year, while imports increased 34.8%. 

Demand for AI, a new generation of High Performance Computing, and cloud services fueled the surge in Taiwan’s exports, according to the Ministry of Finance. In the other direction, AI and semiconductor manufacturers needed to procure more equipment from overseas, resulting in the import surge.

Looking at the markets for Taiwan’s goods, exports to the US were 1.2 times higher in March 2026 than for the same month last year, per CNA. Last month’s total reached NT$907.16 billion, with the US share of Taiwan’s exports totaling 23.1%, the highest level for the month of March in 28 years.

Exports to Southeast Asia rose 59.8% from March last year to NT$529.07 billion, while China and Hong Kong received NT$579.36 billion worth of Taiwanese exports, an increase of 27.4% from March 2025. Taiwan exported NT$98.23 billion worth of goods to Japan, an increase of 20.9% compared to March 2025.

March exports to Europe surged 53.8% to reach NT$167.19 billion. Exports to Ireland were 9.6 times the amount in March last year, and Poland 3.1 times.

The ministry noted a marked shift in Taiwan’s foreign trade when comparing the first quarter of 2026 with the same period in 2018. The US share of Taiwan’s exports has surged from 11.8% to 33.5%, while China and Hong Kong declined from 41.3% to 23.7%. Exports to Singapore during the same period increased 3.8%, but exports to Japan fell 2.4%.