AI infrastructure boom is reshaping global logistics, Dimerco says

Dimerco Express Group used its 55th anniversary supply chain summit in Taipei to spotlight how AI data center buildouts are driving fast-growing logistics demand. Industry leaders said the shift is creating new pressure on air freight, customs, handling and delivery timing as hyperscale infrastructure moves from Asia to sites around the world.

Why it matters: - AI data center construction is creating a new logistics category for oversized, high-value and highly sensitive equipment. - The shift is raising the stakes for freight forwarders, customs brokers and warehouse operators handling shipments tied to multi-country manufacturing networks. - McKinsey estimates global demand for data center capacity could almost triple by 2030, requiring nearly $7 trillion in investment.

What happened: - Dimerco Express Group gathered more than 150 customers and supply chain experts in Taipei for its “Beyond the Next Horizon” Supply Chain Summit. - The event marked Dimerco’s 55th anniversary. - Dimerco said the summit focused on the AI-driven transformation of global logistics. - Dimerco CEO Jeffrey Shih said AI infrastructure movement is becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing areas of logistics demand. - Colley Hwang, chairman and CEO of DIGITIMES, said semiconductor and technology executives are increasingly focused on hardware bottlenecks affecting AI data center construction.

The details: - AI infrastructure includes thousands of components manufactured in multiple countries before a data center can operate. - The equipment must be transported, cleared through customs, stored and delivered safely and on time. - Shih said the logistics environment is becoming more complex as deployment schedules accelerate and equipment values rise. - The challenges include trade compliance, tighter export controls, damage-free handling and precisely timed deliveries to data centers under construction. - Shih said shipments can be valued in the tens of millions of US dollars. - The summit also examined how AI infrastructure is reshaping the air cargo market. - Rapid deployment of AI servers, networking equipment and other infrastructure is creating one of the fastest-growing segments of premium air freight. - That cargo is moving from Asian manufacturing hubs to hyperscale data centers around the world. - Dimerco Chairwoman Catherine Chien said AI is the next major supply chain management challenge. - Chien said Dimerco’s global shipping, trade compliance and bonded warehousing services position the company to move AI equipment from Asia’s manufacturing base to data centers worldwide. - Chien said, “AI may be powered by chips, but it's enabled by logistics.” - Dimerco says it was founded in Taiwan in 1971 and is listed on the Taipei Exchange under 5609. - Dimerco says it operates a global network of more than 300 service locations on a cloud-based digital logistics platform. - Dimerco says the company connects Asia with the world through international air freight, ocean freight, contract logistics and supply chain solutions. - The company’s website is More information.

Between the lines: - The AI buildout is shifting logistics demand away from consumer electronics toward higher-value, more time-sensitive industrial freight. - That change favors providers with strong cross-border compliance, temperature- and damage-sensitive handling, and warehousing close to manufacturing hubs. - The focus on bottlenecks suggests the next constraint in AI growth may be physical delivery capacity, not chip design alone.

What's next: - Dimerco is positioning its network around AI-related freight flows as data center construction accelerates. - The logistics market is likely to face more pressure as AI deployments expand and more components must move on tighter schedules. - Companies building AI infrastructure will need more coordination across manufacturing, transport, customs and final-mile delivery.