Dimerco says AI infrastructure is driving a new logistics challenge

Dimerco Express Group used its 55th anniversary summit in Taipei to argue that the global buildout of AI data centers is creating fast-growing demand for complex logistics. Leaders said the shift is reshaping air cargo, customs, and high-value shipments as companies race to move servers, cooling systems, and power equipment across borders.

Why it matters: - The AI buildout is turning data center hardware into a major logistics category, with demand growing across air freight, customs clearance, storage and final-mile delivery. - The shift affects shipments that are oversized, highly sensitive and often worth tens of millions of US dollars. - The scale is global, with manufacturing concentrated in Asia and data centers being built around the world.

What happened: - More than 150 customers and supply chain experts gathered in Taipei for Dimerco Express Group's “Beyond the Next Horizon” Supply Chain Summit. - Dimerco marked its 55th anniversary at the event. - The summit focused on how AI infrastructure is changing global logistics. - Dimerco CEO Jeffrey Shih said AI infrastructure requires servers, switches, cooling units and power systems to be manufactured, transported, cleared through customs, stored and delivered safely and on time. - DIGITIMES Chairman and CEO Colley Hwang said technology executives are increasingly focused on hardware bottlenecks behind AI data center construction.

The details: - AI infrastructure includes thousands of components made 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 logistics challenge is more complex than consumer electronics because equipment is larger, more expensive and more delicate. - Shih said companies must prepare for trade compliance, stepped-up export controls, risk management for high-value shipments, damage-free handling and tightly timed delivery schedules. - Hwang said the question in the market has shifted from “What can AI do?” to “Where does computing power come from?” - The summit also highlighted pressure on the air cargo market as AI servers and networking gear become one of the fastest-growing premium freight segments. - Dimerco said that growth is moving equipment from Asian manufacturing hubs to hyperscale data centers worldwide. - Chairwoman Catherine Chien said Dimerco's global shipping, trade compliance and bonded warehousing services position the company to move AI equipment from Asia to data centers around the world.

Between the lines: - The AI boom is creating a logistics problem that sits upstream of the data center itself. - The hardware race is making supply chain execution part of AI infrastructure strategy, not just an operational detail. - Premium air freight may benefit as companies prioritize speed, security and delivery precision over lower-cost transport options.

What's next: - Dimerco expects AI infrastructure logistics to remain a major supply chain challenge as deployment timelines accelerate. - The company is positioning its network and digital logistics platform to serve cross-border moves tied to data center construction. - Broader industry attention is likely to stay on bottlenecks in chips, servers, power systems and transport capacity as AI investment expands.

The bottom line: - AI is no longer just a computing story. It is becoming a logistics story, and the supply chain for that hardware is now a strategic battleground.