AI demand ignites $49B export surge

The country's electronic exports are on track to hit $49 billion in 2025, reversing initial industry estimates of flat growth as demand for conventional and new technologies outweighs tariff uncertainties.

- (Dexter Barro II)

Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) president Danilo Lachica said exports are poised to increase by between 14 and 15 percent from $42.6 billion in 2024.

"We expect to reach anywhere between $48 [billion] to $49 billion," Lachica said in a television interview last week.

If this is realized, electronic exports would flirt with the $49-billion level, which the country last reached in 2022 at $49.09 billion—the current record high.

This marks an impressive turnaround for the industry after SEIPI initially projected that exports would remain flat in 2025, largely due to uncertainties caused by the tariff policy of the United States (US).