Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) Electricity consumption by Taiwan's semiconductor industry topped 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) for the first time in September, a record high driven by stronger-than-expected demand for artificial intelligence (AI), the Taiwan Research Institute (TRI) said Wednesday.

As AI technologies develop rapidly and demand for computing power grows, global demand for cutting-edge chips, advanced packaging and high-performance chips continues to rise, pushing up the industry's electricity consumption, the TRI said in a statement.

Nationwide, electricity consumption by high-voltage and extra-high-voltage industrial users rose 1.76 percent year on year in September, while consumption by manufacturers rose 1.96 percent, the TRI said.

Electricity consumption in the semiconductor industry rose 11.55 percent year on year in September, returning to double-digit growth. The economic monitoring indicator for the power industry remained at "red," signaling robust activity, for the 18th consecutive month, the institute said.

Strong production in the high-tech sector has gradually spurred investment demand in other industries, boosting exports, production and corporate investment and supporting rapid economic growth, the TRI said. It estimated Taiwan's economic growth in September at 12.6 percent.

The TRI estimated that the semiconductor industry's annual electricity consumption will exceed 50 billion kWh this year, as AI-related business opportunities expand from high-end chips to servers, equipment, materials and key components, benefiting investment and production across the supply chain.

The chemical materials and textile industries continued to show "blue" monitoring readings, signaling contraction, though for different reasons. The chemical materials industry remained under pressure from global petrochemical overcapacity and a slow recovery in demand, while the textile industry faced weak international end-market demand and price competition, which continued to weigh on orders and production.