Taiwan's economy is booming thanks to AI. Not everyone sees the benefits

Taiwan is seeing rapid economic growth tied to semiconductor exports powering leading AI models. About 90 percent of the most advanced chips used for major AI systems are produced in Taiwan. Tech workers describe the period as vibrant, with events such as the Computex tech and AI expo drawing attention. Despite strong growth, some people feel the gains are not shared evenly. Industries outside technology are not experiencing the same benefits, and many former classmates working outside tech appear to be doing worse. Taiwan’s GDP rose 8.63 percent in 2025 and expanded 13.69 percent in the first three months of the following year. Exports increased 34.9 percent to $640.7 billion, with more than two-thirds related to tech. Semiconductors account for over 20 percent of GDP, and TSMC dominates production for major customers including Nvidia and Apple.

"For Li, an engineer at Taiwanese computer giant ASUS, the AI boom sweeping Taiwan has made it an exciting time to work in tech. Taiwan is a semiconductor powerhouse, producing about 90 percent of the most advanced chips used to power leading AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude. list of 4 itemsend of list I've felt Taiwan's tech and computer industry becoming more vibrant, Li, who asked not to be identified by his real name, told Al Jazeera, pointing to events such as the upcoming Computex tech and AI expo running from June 2 to 6."

"Still, Li worries that the spoils of Taiwan's AI windfall are not being shared equally. Most industries unrelated to tech don't seem to be feeling the benefits, so it doesn't feel evenly distributed at the moment, Li said, explaining that many of his former classmates working outside of tech do not appear to be doing as well. It's mainly the industries at the front of this tech wave that are benefitting."

"Taiwan's economy is growing at a pace that would be the envy of any country. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 8.63 percent in 2025, followed by a heady 13.69 percent expansion in the first three months of this year. Exports surged 34.9 percent last year to $640.7bn, with more than two-thirds of the total being tech-related goods and services."

"Semiconductors alone account for more than 20 percent of Taiwan's GDP, according to US trade data, with the vast majority of production handled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), whose top customers include Nvidia and Apple. TSMC by itself accounts for more than 40 percent of the value of the island's stock m"

Read at www.aljazeera.com