Inventec to invest up to US$85 million in Texas facility; joins wave of US expansions for Taiwanese ODMs

Taiwanese electronics maker Inventec announced on April 28 that its board of directors has approved an investment plan of up to US$85 million to establish a manufacturing facility in Texas, marking the latest move by a major original design manufacturer (ODM) to expand US operations. The investment follows similar commitments by fellow Taiwanese ODM giants Foxconn, Wistron, and Wiwynn.

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China’s export barriers throttle Trump tariff-driven global supply chain exodus

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.

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DeepSeek returns to South Korea, challenges local AI giants despite privacy concerns

Reuters reports that DeepSeek, a Chinese generative artificial intelligence firm previously embroiled in controversy over excessive personal data collection, has partially adopted South Korea’s regulatory recommendations. After a two-month suspension of new downloads, the company has reinstated its services, allowing South Korean users to once again access DeepSeek via app stores. Observers note that DeepSeek’s return poses competitive challenges to domestic firms as US tech giants intensify efforts to capture market share in South Korea.

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Flex bolsters US manufacturing to power data center boom

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.

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iPhone 17 stocking begins: 10% YoY shipment decline estimated

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.

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Google sees cloud demand surpass capacity, AI now powers over 30% of code development

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%.

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