AI gold rush transforms trans-Pacific trade and logistics

The artificial intelligence infrastructure boom is creating significant new trade flows and opportunities for third-party logistics providers and carriers. Freight transportation companies are rapidly scaling up capabilities, especially to support semiconductor supply chains in Asia, the epicenter for production and distribution of advanced chips used to power AI applications, data centers, connected devices and next-generation vehicles. Two reports issued on Wednesday show how AI-related goods such as semiconductors and data-transmission equipment have become a major driver of international trade growth, spawning increasingly complex regional and global supply chains that depend on speed, visibility, cross-border expertise and resilience. Unlike traditional consumer electronics, AI infrastructure requires the coordinated movement, including customs clearance and storage, of oversized, high-value and highly sensitive equipment from manufacturers across Asia to hyperscale data centers under construction around the world. Semiconductors, data transmission equipment and data center hardware accounted for 42% of all goods trade growth in 2025, and that share rose to about 76% during th