AI Demand

AI demand encompasses the need for computing power, memory, PCBs, passive components and financial services driven by applications such as generative AI, data centers and quantitative trading. The recent boom is already reflected in semiconductor-equipment shipments and growth in corporate lending and syndicated loans. It has also tightened supplies of memory and multilayer ceramic capacitors, or MLCCs, and raised hardware prices, while Chinese companies are aggressively expanding capacity. This demand is supporting Taiwan’s exports, GDP, equity market and currency, but supply-demand imbalances, competition for capacity and geopolitical risks are also rising. Order visibility, pricing and investment returns remain important to watch.