Dimerco says AI infrastructure is creating a new logistics strain

Dimerco Express Group used its 55th anniversary summit in Taipei to spotlight how AI data center buildouts are driving demand for complex global logistics. Leaders said the rush to move servers, power systems and cooling equipment is creating fast-growing needs in air cargo, customs, risk control and precision delivery.

Why it matters: - AI data center buildouts are becoming a major new source of logistics demand. - The shift is pushing more high-value, oversized and fragile equipment through global freight networks. - The challenge affects shipping, customs clearance, bonded storage and on-time delivery for projects under construction worldwide.

What happened: - Dimerco Express Group marked its 55th anniversary in Taipei with the "Beyond the Next Horizon" Supply Chain Summit. - More than 150 customers and supply chain experts attended the event. - Dimerco executives and industry speakers discussed how AI infrastructure is changing global logistics. - Dimerco Chairwoman Catherine Chien said AI is the next big supply chain management challenge.

The details: - AI infrastructure includes thousands of components manufactured in multiple countries before a data center can operate. - McKinsey estimates global demand for data center capacity could almost triple by 2030, requiring nearly $7 trillion in investment. - The equipment moving through the supply chain includes servers, switches, cooling units and power systems. - The parts are manufactured across Asia and shipped to hyperscale data centers under construction around the world. - Dimerco CEO Jeffrey Shih said the logistics task now includes trade compliance, stepped-up export controls, shipment protection for loads valued in the tens of millions of US dollars, damage-free handling and tightly timed deliveries. - Colley Hwang, chairman and CEO of DIGITIMES, said semiconductor and technology executives are focusing more on hardware bottlenecks in AI data center construction. - Hwang said readers now ask less about what AI can do and more about where computing power comes from. - The summit also examined how AI infrastructure is affecting the air cargo market. - Dimerco said AI server and networking shipments are becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of premium air freight. - Dimerco said e-commerce remains an important source of air cargo demand.

Between the lines: - The AI boom is no longer just a chips story. It is turning into a supply chain story with multiple handoffs, tighter security and more expensive failure points. - Premium air freight stands to benefit as companies pay to move sensitive hardware faster from Asian manufacturing hubs to data centers. - Dimerco is positioning its global shipping, trade compliance and bonded warehousing services around that shift. - AI may depend on semiconductors, but the industry now appears equally dependent on logistics execution.

What's next: - Demand for AI infrastructure logistics is likely to keep rising as more data centers move from planning to construction. - Trade compliance, export controls and secure handling are likely to remain central pressure points. - Dimerco is expected to continue targeting Asia-to-global movements tied to AI equipment and related infrastructure.

The bottom line: - AI's growth is creating a new logistics bottleneck, and the winners will be the freight providers that can move expensive, fragile equipment safely and on schedule. - Learn more at Dimerco Express Group.