The policies of US President Donald Trump have caused significant disruptions to global trade stability, particularly impacting Taiwan's supply chains. Under the shadow of high tariffs, some Taiwanese companies are considering shifting production away from China to countries like India and Mexico, or even back to the US mainland, where labor costs are higher and union activity is stronger. However, experts warn that a depreciating dollar could increase the cost for Taiwanese manufacturers to set up operations in the US and purchase imported equipment.

The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), actively promoted by the governments of Singapore and Malaysia, leverages Johor state's advantages in land, water, electricity, and natural resources, combined with Singapore's advanced technology, financial sector, and status as an international business hub.

Taiwan's electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers are accelerating their North American production plans in response to tariff threats, but component shortages and capacity constraints at US chip plants could hamper the AI server market for years, according to industry sources.

Chang Wah Electromaterials (CWE) founder Canon Huang described Donald Trump's tariff policies as highly unpredictable but expressed confidence that market conditions for CWE and its lead frame subsidiary Chang Wah Technology (CWTC) have bottomed out.

Sanmina Corporation, a leading provider of integrated manufacturing solutions, serves a diverse range of industries through its global manufacturing footprint, including communications, defense, medical, and industrial markets. The company posted strong financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended March 29, 2025, citing robust operational execution and resilient customer demand amid global uncertainty.

President Donald Trump's renewed tariff policies have pushed US-China trade tensions to an all-time high. As a result, global supply chains are scrambling to speed up production line relocations, coming face to face with logistical hurdles and China's tightened export controls in its process. The global push for regional manufacturing is reshaping supply chain strategies, however, uncertainties and equipment sourcing challenges further complicate the transition.

Flex has ramped up its US manufacturing capacity to address the escalating demand for data center power solutions, driven by the AI boom. The company announced a significant expansion of its facility in Columbia, South Carolina, which now dedicates 134,000 square feet to producing critical power products like databar, power distribution units (PDUs), and remote power panels (RPPs). This move aims to shorten lead times for US data center operators grappling with the power needs of compute-intensive AI applications.

The Trump administration's aggressive and unpredictable tariff policies have cast a shadow over economic development. Apple's supply chain revealed that the company recently completed the first phase of iPhone 17's Engineering Validation Test (EVT). Although Apple has not yet confirmed any full-year shipment cuts, most suppliers remain conservative, with the most cautious estimates projecting a 10% year-over-year reduction.

Despite recent reports suggesting a slowdown in US data center expansion, Alphabet, Google's parent company, has reaffirmed the strength of its cloud business. The company emphasized that customer demand continues to exceed existing capacity, while the share of internal software development assisted by AI has risen from 25% to more than 30%.

As China's homegrown AI models, such as DeepSeek, expand into manufacturing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure, particularly power supply, has become crucial for sustaining large-scale AI deployments.