As the Iran war and the geopolitical uncertainty it has triggered continue to intensify, global technology supply chains are coming under heavier-than-expected pressure. In addition to surging metal raw material prices, shortages of high-specification ISO containers used to transport helium, as well as specialty industrial solvents, are driving up production costs and threatening the stability of semiconductor manufacturing capacity.

At a time when the global semiconductor industry is undergoing a historic restructuring, the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association says Southeast Asia is evolving from a backend manufacturing base into one of the world's most resilient semiconductor supply chain hubs.

Ahead of the expected Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, the US and China are first holding preparatory talks in South Korea, placing trade, technology, and semiconductor export controls at the center of the negotiation track.