Revenues at Taiwan’s three science parks rose 1.39 percent to a record NT$2.63 trillion (US$87.8 billion) in 2019, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology March 9.
 
Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan led the way with revenues of NT$1.09 trillion, up 1.5 percent from the previous year. Although Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan and Kaohsiung Cities reported a drop of 6.59 percent to NT$743 billion, this decline was offset by a 9.98 percent surge to NT$797 billion at Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung City.
 
The integrated circuit sector remained the top revenue generator at the parks, increasing 2.12 percent. Rising 94.42 percent and 38.64 percent respectively, the computing and telecommunication industries also registered impressive growth.
 
The parks additionally delivered record combined exports, up 15.99 percent to NT$2.07 trillion. Total employment similarly set a new benchmark at 280,048.
 
According to the MOST, the strong performance for 2019 is due to rising demand for smartphone devices equipped with 5G technology. The Internet of Things, AI and high-performance computing markets have also continued expanding.
 
Cautioning on the potential impact of the U.S.-China trade war and the global outbreak of COVID-19, the MOST said it forecasts moderate growth at the parks in 2020. Emerging opportunities in areas spanning 5G, AI, biometrics, high-performance computing and IoT are expected to continue driving exports going forward, the ministry added. (TYT-E)
 
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