• Dimerco Express Group says the rapid expansion of AI data centres is creating one of the fastest-growing segments in premium air cargo.
• Speaking at its Supply Chain Summit in Taipei, industry leaders highlighted the logistics challenges of transporting high-value AI infrastructure from Asia to global data centres.
• The company expects demand for specialised logistics services to grow as investment in AI infrastructure accelerates worldwide.

As companies around the world race to build the data centres needed to power artificial intelligence, industry leaders say the movement of AI infrastructure has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing logistics challenges. 

That was the central theme discussed by more than 150 customers and supply chain experts gathered in Taipei as Dimerco Express Group marked its 55th anniversary with its “Beyond the Next Horizon” Supply Chain Summit. 

AI infrastructure encompasses the thousands of components manufactured in multiple countries that must be delivered before an AI data center can operate. Between now and 2030, demand for data centers is predicted to nearly triple and companies worldwide are expected to invest nearly $7 trillion in building and upgrading data centers (source: Programs.com).  

Unlike traditional consumer electronics, AI infrastructure requires the coordinated movement of oversized, high-value and highly sensitive equipment from manufacturers across Asia to hyperscale data centers under construction around the world. 

“AI is like the Industrial Revolution for information,” said Dimerco CEO Jeffrey Shih. “Just as factories once required steel, machinery, and railroads, AI requires massive data centers. Every server, switch, cooling unit, and power system must be manufactured, transported across the globe, cleared through customs, stored, and delivered to data centers safely, securely and on time.” 

Shih added that, as deployment schedules accelerate and equipment values rise, companies must step up to this formidable logistics challenge. Those challenges include trade compliance, stepped-up export control measures, managing risk for shipments valued in the tens of millions of (USD) dollars, damage-free handling of highly delicate equipment, and precisely timed deliveries to data centres under construction. 

One of the keynote speakers at the Supply Chain Summit was Colley Hwang, Chairman & CEO of a DIGITIMES, a Taiwanese research company that specialises in the global semiconductor, computing, and supply chain industries. Hwang noted that, among DIGITIMES’ semiconductor and tech company executive readers, the interest has shifted to hardware bottlenecks in the AI supply chain for data center construction.   

Hwang noted that industry discussions have shifted from AI software innovation to the physical infrastructure required to deploy AI at scale. 

“Our readers’ questions have shifted from ‘What can AI do?’ to ‘Where does computing power come from?’” said Hwang 

The Summit also explored how AI infrastructure is reshaping the air cargo market. While eCommerce remains an important source of demand, the rapid deployment of AI servers, networking equipment and other high-value infrastructure is creating one of the fastest-growing segments of premium air freight, moving from Asian manufacturing hubs to hyperscale data centers around the world. 

According to Dimerco Chairwoman, Catherine Chien, AI is clearly the next big supply chain management challenge.  “With global shipping, trade compliance and bonded warehousing services, Dimerco is well positioned to help companies move AI equipment from Asia’s manufacturing base to data centers worldwide.”  

She added, “AI may be powered by chips, but it’s enabled by logistics.”  

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