On July 14, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the trends in information and communications technology (ICT) exports and imports for the first half of 2025 and June. They revealed that ICT exports in the first half of the year reached a total of $115.2 billion, marking the second-highest performance for a first half on record. This represents a 5.8% increase compared to the same period last year. During the same period, imports stood at $70.9 billion (up 5.0%), and the trade balance recorded a surplus of $44.2 billion.

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ICT exports in June 2025 alone reached $22 billion, the highest figure ever recorded for the month of June. Semiconductor exports also set a new monthly record at $14.98 billion, driven by a rebound in semiconductor prices and strong sales of high-value memory products such as DDR5 and HBM.

Semiconductor exports for the first half of the year totaled $73.3 billion (up 11.4%), achieving the best-ever performance for a first half. Notably, in June, increased demand due to the expansion of AI servers, coupled with rising fixed prices for DRAM and NAND, led to a record-high monthly export value of $14.98 billion.

Computer and peripheral devices ($6.64 billion, up 10.8%) also saw double-digit growth due to strong demand for SSDs, while mobile phones ($6.08 billion, up 9.1%) benefited from robust sales of new products and increased exports of module components. Conversely, exports of displays ($8.70 billion, down 13.9%) and communication equipment ($1.16 billion, down 2.5%) declined.

In terms of exports by country, shipments to Taiwan (up 89.6%), the United States (up 14.5%), Vietnam (up 10.0%), and Japan (up 5.7%) increased. In contrast, exports to China (down 11.5%) and the European Union (down 2.7%) saw a decrease. For Taiwan, exports of high-value memory products like DDR5 and HBM were the primary drivers, while the US saw a significant increase in semiconductor and mobile phone exports.

On a monthly basis for June, Taiwan (up 54.6%), the United States (up 22.6%), and Japan (up 20.6%) showed double-digit growth rates. Meanwhile, China (down 9.4%), Vietnam (down 6.9%), and India (down 6.3%) recorded decreases.

ICT exports from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies in the first half of 2025 amounted to $28.67 billion (up 0.9%). Exports of semiconductors (up 3.3%) and communication equipment (up 29.9%) increased, while mobile phones (down 21.1%) and displays (down 0.3%) decreased. For SMEs, communication equipment exports rose by 60.3%, showing strong performance, but exports of displays (down 7.9%) and computer peripherals (down 5.9%) declined.

ICT imports in the first half of the year reached $70.9 billion, a 5.0% increase compared to the same period last year. Imports of major items such as semiconductors ($35.98 billion, up 7.3%), computer and peripheral devices ($7.87 billion, up 7.9%), and mobile phones ($3.54 billion, up 3.3%) increased. With the expansion of AI infrastructure, imports of graphics cards (up 23.9%) and mid-to-large scale computers (up 36.9%) were particularly notable.

Imports in June increased by 14.0% year-on-year to $12.4 billion, with significant growth in mobile phones (up 36.6%), semiconductors (up 22.8%), and displays (up 4.3%). Driven by AI demand, imports of high-performance components such as graphics cards (up 83.5%), SSDs (up 55.3%), and system semiconductors (up 32.9%) surged.

The government stated that as the growth in ICT exports is closely linked to the expanding demand from the AI industry, policy efforts will be focused on strengthening the export base for high-value components and system semiconductors. In particular, given that semiconductor exports have reached an all-time high, the government plans to simultaneously pursue technological competitiveness in related items and export diversification.