Taiwan May export orders top forecasts on AI demand

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s export orders rose more than expected in May as the tech powerhouse continues to reap the benefits of a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Export orders last month rose 7.0% from a year earlier to $48.89 billion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Thursday. While that beat the 6% gain forecast in a Reuters poll, it marked a pull back from April’s 10.8% expansion.

Orders for goods from Taiwan, home to tech giants such as chip manufacturer TSMC, a major producer of AI chips, are a bellwether of global technology demand.