TWSE-listed firms report highest-ever sales as AI boosts tech sector

Companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) posted their highest-ever combined sales for last year, as the robust global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications boosted the tech sector, the exchange said yesterday.The TWSE said 974 Taiwan-registered companies and an additional 89 that were incorporated overseas but launched a primary listing on the local main board, generated NT$47.63 trillion (US$1.50 trillion) in combined sales last year, up 13.82 percent from a year earlier.Among the 1,063 listed companies, 555 reported an increase in sales with the remaining 508 suffering a decline last year, the exchange said in a statement.Last year, the computer and peripheral industry benefited from robust demand for AI servers, reporting NT $10.68 trillion in aggregate revenue, up 35.76 percent from a year earlier, the TWSE said.Also riding the AI boom, semiconductor/related equipment industry reported NT$6.596 trillion in combined sales, up 21.04 percent from 2024, the exchange said. Bucking the uptrend, the plastics industry posted NT$941.6 billion in sales, down 11.80 percent from a year earlier as demand remained weak and competition escalated, while the shipping industry felt the pinch from a fall in global trade caused by US tariff polices and a decline in shipping fares so its combined sales dropped 9.88 percent to NT$1.43 trillion, the exchange added.The sales results came as the 1,063 listed companies reported NT$4.64 trillion in combined sales last month, up 21 percent from a year earlier with 552 enjoying an increase in sales and 511 suffering a drop, the TWSE said.Among major industries, the computer and peripheral industry reported the highest growth of 53.16 percent in combined revenue which totaled NT$1.12 trillion last month due to the AI boom, while the plastics industry reported the steepest decline of 13.57 percent in sales which reached NT$76.4 billion on weak demand, the exchange said.On the over-the-counter (OTC) market, 527 firms reported an increase in aggregate sales last year, with 347 reporting a decline, according to the Taipei Exchange (TPEx).The 874 OTC-listed firms generated NT$3.03 trillion in combined sales, up 8 percent from a year earlier, with the semiconductor industry leading the growth with a 10 percent increase in aggregate sales to NT$632.8 billion on AI support, the TPEx said.However, the building materials industry reported the steepest decline of 11 percent in sales which totaled NT $88.4 billion last year, it added.