Taiwan's main electronics industry body said on Thursday it would develop overseas industrial parks in four countries, as manufacturers seek to diversify production and stay closer to major customers amid AI-driven supply chain realignment and sustained tariff pressure.
The Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) disclosed the plan at its annual general assembly in Taipei, where Chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) said artificial intelligence had become the dominant driver of global economic growth and that Taiwan's ICT sector must accelerate its international footprint to maintain relevance.
"Competing in the AI era is not only about technology and manufacturing capacity," Young Liu told delegates. "It is about whether Taiwan can translate its critical position in global supply chains into a more durable competitive advantage."
Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) and Interior Vice Minister Tung Chien-hung (董建宏) attended the event.
Sector Output Hits NT$11 Trillion
Taiwan's electrical and electronics sector generated output of NT$11.06 trillion (US$340 billion) last year, up 29.2% from 2024, TEEMA said. The figure now represents more than half — 52% — of total national manufacturing output, with TEEMA member firms accounting for 94% of that sum.
The surge has been fueled by demand for AI servers, data center equipment, advanced cooling systems, smart energy infrastructure, and electric vehicle components, underscoring the sector's role not just as a manufacturing base but as critical enabling infrastructure for the global AI buildout.
Collective Expansion Model Targets Four Markets
TEEMA's overseas push centers on what it calls a "lead-and-follow" model, in which large anchor companies bring smaller suppliers into new markets under the banner of TEEMA Science Parks. The association said target sectors would include AI data centers, AI servers, high-end thermal management, smart energy, edge AI, smart cities, and electric vehicles.
The four planned park locations — the United States, Mexico, Poland, and India — reflect both proximity to major end customers and the need to hedge against further tariff and regulatory disruption.
TEEMA said it had completed two field surveys in Mexico's Sonora state this year and assessed investment conditions in Arizona and Texas as part of the U.S.SelectUSA initiative. It also signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to establish a formal government-backed support framework for companies setting up U.S. operations.
For smaller suppliers, the collective model is intended to lower the entry barriers of navigating foreign regulatory environments, securing local talent, and managing logistics — challenges that have traditionally made independent overseas expansion prohibitive for mid-sized firms.
New AI Robotics Alliance
TEEMA said it had also co-founded the Taiwan AI Robotics Industry Alliance alongside the Machinery Association, the Machine Tool Association, and the Computer Association. The alliance is focused on AI adoption, smart manufacturing, net-zero transition, and digital transformation across the broader industrial sector.
The association added that it would continue expanding industry-to-industry ties with counterparts in the United States, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia through delegations and trade forums. （Related： Beyond Nvidia: Daikin Posts Record Earnings on AI Cooling Demand ｜ Latest ）
