TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s export orders set a May record of US$57.93 billion (NT$1.71 trillion) due to persistent demand for AI, high performance computing and cloud products, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Friday.

The figure marked an 18.5% increase from the same month last year, per CNA. Export orders from January to May totaled US$263.8 billion, or 15% more than the same period in 2024.

Orders for information and technology products surged 29.5% from May last year to US$18.2 billion. Over the same period, orders for electronics products rose 27.7% to US$21.57 billion.

In contrast, weak demand and cheap competition from overseas caused a 17.4% drop in orders for products from the chemical sector, and a 14.3% decline for plastics and rubber. Orders for basic metals suffered a 10.7% year-on-year drop.