Science parks post record revenue

AI BOOM: Of the parks’ six major industries, the integrated circuit industry led in revenue and the optoelectronics industry ranked second, a report said

• By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter

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The nation’s three major science parks posted a combined revenue of NT$3.54 trillion (US$111.1 billion) in the first half of this year, up 29.27 percent year-on-year and a new record, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said in a report released yesterday.

The council attributed the strong performance to explosive demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips and cloud services, driving a new wave of growth in the semiconductor industry, the report said.

The Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) recorded a revenue increase of 36.03 percent annually to NT$1.12 trillion, Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) posted revenue growth of 20.63 percent to NT$643.63 billion and Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) grew 28.57 percent to NT$1.77 trillion, it said.

From left, Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs Director-General Lin Der-sheng, Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau Director-General Cheng Hsiu-jung, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Deputy Minister Su Chen-kang, NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-wen, Hsinchu Science Park Bureau Director-General Hu Shi-min and Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau Director-General Hsu Maw-shin attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: CNA

From January to June, the three science parks saw two-way trade rise 50.98 percent year-on-year to NT$4.75 trillion, while investment totaled NT$366.1 billion, up 1,317.43 percent from the previous year, it added.

The council said the three parks’ revenue is expected to grow steadily, thanks to continued development of AI applications and advanced semiconductor process technologies, as well as manufacturers’ efforts to deepen customer relationships and enhance their international competitiveness.

Based on current trends, the three parks’ total revenue is projected to top NT$7.56 trillion this year, the council said.

Of the parks’ six major industries, the integrated circuit industry led in revenue in the first half of the year, as robust demand for AI and high-performance computing drove sales up 29.57 percent year-on-year to NT$2.93 trillion, the report said.

The optoelectronics industry ranked second, with an increase of 6.3 percent to NT$237.87 billion during the period, benefiting from increased orders for fiber optic communication modules and continued sales growth in uninterruptible power systems, it said.

Revenue of the computer and peripherals industry rose 82.49 percent to NT$164.1 billion on strong orders of servers and related equipment, and that of the communications industry grew 13.01 percent to NT$36.15 billion amid strong sales of key networking components, the report said.

The precision machinery industry’s revenue increased 37.65 percent to NT$118.34 billion, as the AI boom boosted demand for automation systems, and precision equipment and components, it said.

Biotechnology industry sales were up 17.44 percent to NT$29.98 billion, driven by effective marketing strategies of medical device makers and new drug developers, coupled with sales contributions by contract development and manufacturing organizations, it said.