Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Robust demand for AI applications boosted Taiwan's exports by almost 33 percent from a year earlier in July as electronic component sales hit a fresh high, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Friday. Taiwan's outbound sales rose 32.9 percent from a year earlier to US$75.30 billion in July, the 33rd consecutive month of year-on-year growth. The July exports were the third highest ever, only trailing US$80.18 billion in March and US$78.48 billion in May, MOF data showed. Taiwan's imports in July rose 37.4 percent from a year earlier to US$58.13 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$17.17 billion, up 19.6 percent year-on-year. The MOF forecast that August's exports would continue the growth spurt, range between US$76.6 billion and US$78.9 billion, up 31-35 percent from a year earlier.