The revenues of high-tech enterprises operating in various science parks across Taiwan represent a significant part of the country’s economic lifeblood. Even at the height of the pandemic, the technology industry managed to maintain an outstanding level of performance that was second to none in the world. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan’s three largest science parks brought in revenues exceeding NT$3 trillion for the first time in 2020. The revenue figures of various principal industries operating in the science parks between 2011 and 2020 offer a snapshot of the main structure and progression of industries operating within these parks.

The six major industries represented in Taiwan’s three largest science parks are semiconductor, optoelectronics, computers and peripherals, communications, precision machinery, and biotechnology. Between 2011 and 2020, the cumulative revenues of these industries combined reached NT$23.72 trillion. Among them, the largest sector in terms of revenues is semiconductor (NT$15,203.3 billion; accounting for 64.1% of the six major industries), followed by optoelectronics (NT$6,265.5 billion; accounting for 26.41% of the six major industries). The next four industries together accounted for NT$2,250.6 billion in combined revenues for the remaining 9.49%.

From the revenue trends displayed by the six major industries between 2011 and 2020, we can conclude that the revenues of the semiconductor and optoelectronics industries, which form the bulk of the technology sector, are experiencing different trajectories: semiconductor is steadily increasing while optoelectronics are on a downward trend. Comparing these two industries in terms of growth rate, semiconductor grew significantly (117.2%) between 2011 and 2020, while optoelectronics suffered negative growth (-32.1%). Looking at the changes in revenue figures over the years in the computers and peripherals, communications, precision machinery, and biotechnology industries, the precision machinery industry has the highest combined total revenue of NT$917.4 billion. In contrast, the biotechnology industry brought in a total of NT$211.9 billion, the lowest among the four. The computers and peripherals as well as communications industries, experienced the largest fluctuations in revenues. Following a record high of NT$80.8 billion in 2013, the two industries fell to the lowest point of NT$40.9 billion in 2016 before rebounding to NT$49.0 billion in 2018 and finally NT$144.0 billion in 2020. In terms of annual growth rates between 2011 and 2020, these major industries are ranked as follows: Biotechnology (185.83%), communications (181.17%), computers and peripherals (119.85%), and precision machinery (40.04%). Precision machinery had the highest revenue, despite its lowest growth rate among these industries. On the other hand, biotechnology enjoyed the highest growth rate, even though its revenue is the lowest in the group.