Taiwan's printed circuit board (PCB) industry is poised for a strong rebound in 2025, with total output expected to reach NT$915.7 billion (approx. USD 29.96 billion or CNY 21.32 billion), up 12.1% year-over-year, according to the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA). The growth is being fueled by surging demand for AI servers, steady orders for satellite communications, and tariff-driven early shipments.

TPCA data show that Taiwan's PCB manufacturing output hit NT$218.2 billion in the second quarter of 2025, up 14.4% from a year earlier, bringing cumulative first-half output to NT$423.6 billion, a 13.8% increase year-over-year. The association said the overall market performance this year has been significantly stronger than in the past two years, supported by robust demand across high-end PCB categories.

Among product segments, substrate boards led the gains with 20.6% year-over-year growth. BT substrates saw increased shipments on recovering memory and smartphone demand, while ABF substrates benefited from AI, networking, and consumer GPU applications. HDI boards rose 16.2%, driven by expanding AI server and low-orbit satellite demand. Multilayer boards grew 19.2%, and flexible and rigid-flex boards increased 4.1% and 4.7%, respectively. The automotive PCB segment, however, declined as global car sales slowed due to U.S. import tariffs and reduced EV subsidies in Europe and the U.S.

The TPCA expects Taiwan's PCB output to climb another 10.7% in the second half of 2025 to NT$492.1 billion. AI servers remain the key growth engine, with annual shipments projected to surge 82.8%, pushing further upgrades across the supply chain.

On the materials side, Taiwan's PCB materials sector saw first-half output reach NT$195.9 billion, up 6.8%, supported by strong demand for high-frequency and high-speed copper-clad laminates (CCLs) used in AI servers. The PCB equipment sector recorded even faster growth, with output up 33.4% year-over-year to NT$36.06 billion, driven by Southeast Asian factory expansions and rising drilling equipment demand for AI server PCBs.

TPCA warned that the AI boom is also exposing structural bottlenecks in the supply of key materials such as high-performance fiberglass cloth and HVLP copper foil—both heavily reliant on Japanese suppliers. These shortages could delay server shipments but also create opportunities for new material suppliers to enter the high-end market.

To address this, TPCA has launched the "High-End Materials Supply Chain Enhancement Project" to strengthen local collaboration across upstream and downstream partners. Taiwan, with its comprehensive PCB and semiconductor supply chains, aims to maintain its critical role in global high-end electronics manufacturing.

Despite challenges from tariffs, currency fluctuations, and regional instability, the TPCA remains optimistic about the industry's outlook. It highlighted that AI servers have become the core growth driver for the global PCB industry, accelerating advances in manufacturing, materials, and equipment.

The 2025 TPCA Show, to be held from October 22–24 at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, will showcase the latest PCB and substrate technologies under the theme "Energy-Efficient AI: From Cloud to the Edge." The event will also feature a Semiconductor and PCB Heterogeneous Integration Summit and a CEO Forum focused on AI innovation, alongside the IMPACT International Assembly and PCB Symposium, which opens a day earlier and will include speakers from TSMC, AWS, Intel, and Sony. Together, the TPCA Show and IMPACT have become key global platforms spotlighting Taiwan's resilience and leadership in the next generation of PCB and semiconductor integration.