TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Robust demand for AI, high-performance computing, and cloud data services helped the industrial production index surge 23.47% in August from the same month last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Wednesday.
The industrial production index reached 145.97, while the manufacturing production index rose 24.61% from August 2025. In both cases, the new figures amounted to single-month records following 30 consecutive months of growth, per Liberty Times.
The optical sector registered the strongest increase, up 95.72% from the previous year. The rapid expansion of basic AI infrastructure was responsible for the surge. Demand for consumer electronics was also strong, contributing to a rise of 21.68% for the electronics parts sector in August.
The worst-performing sectors were basic metals, down 0.36%, cars and car parts, down 4.23%, and chemical and fertilizer products, down 5.81% from one year earlier. The launch of new car models, rising demand from overseas, and increased production of EVs and car lights had helped offset some of the decline for the car industry, the Liberty Times reported.
During the first eight months of the year, the industrial production index rose 20.8% from the same period last year. The manufacturing production index showed an increase of 22.14% from January-August 2025 to the same period this year.
