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AI boom will sustain Hong Kong’s export surge, lift GDP outlook, economists say

Baptist University’s Billy Mak says rising export values also reflect higher prices for AI components and relative easing in China-US trade tensions

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Memory cards for sale at a Mong Kok shop. Hong Kong exports rose by 53.4 per cent in June, driven by demand for electronic products supporting AI. Photo: Jelly Tse
Initial AI demand centred on Nvidia’s graphics processing units. Photo: Handout
The Kwai Tsing container facility in Kwai Chung. Photo: Sam Tsang
Ambrose Li
Hong Kong’s export surge will extend into the coming months, driven by the global AI boom, economists have told the South China Morning Post, adding that gross domestic product (GDP) growth could surpass official forecasts.

Billy Mak Sui-choi, an associate professor at Baptist University’s accountancy, economics and finance department, said global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) remained far from saturated and would continue to drive exports.

“No single country has yet been able to dominate the AI field across models, services and hardware,” he said. “As long as countries see an opportunity to compete, they will continue investing in the necessary hardware.”

Mak noted that while initial AI demand centred on Nvidia’s graphics processing units, businesses realised that a broader ecosystem was required, including memory chips, photovoltaic modules and motherboards, helping to explain Hong Kong’s strong exports and re-exports from mainland China.

Hong Kong exports rose by 53.4 per cent year on year in June, as overseas demand for the region’s electronic products supporting AI pushed monthly shipments to their highest level since March 1984, when the same figure stood at 61.6 per cent.

Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Monday showed the value of exports climbed to a record HK$641.1 billion (US$81.7 billion) after a 40.8 per cent rise in May.

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