$70-billion electronics exports eyed by 2030

The umbrella group of semiconductor and electronics companies aims to increase its already leading share in the country's total exports by almost two-thirds to $70 billion as part of the government's ambitious five-year plan to boost the industry's competitiveness.

- BY DEXTER BARRO II

The Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) is banking on the emergence of new technologies to push the value of the country's electronic exports to $70 billion.

"Whether it's now or five years from now, the drivers of growth for the electronics industry would be new technology," SEIPI president Danilo Lachica said in a briefing on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Under the five-year roadmap developed by the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council (SEIAC), the Philippines is targeting to manufacture $70 billion worth of semiconductor packaging, the majority of which is for export.

In a rapidly evolving digital era, Lachica noted that the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, and renewable energy (RE) will continue to drive demand for the country's semiconductors.

Not far off, he said, are the conventional pillars of semiconductor demand, including computers, cellphones, and automobiles.