What Happened
Semiconductor Shipments Drive Asia-US Airfreight Demand
The global air freight map is being redrawn by the AI boom, with semiconductor and AI-related hardware shipments driving demand. According to industry experts, AI-related air cargo grew 20% year-on-year, accounting for 53.5% of total air-transported trade value. Taiwan and South Korea are facing tight capacity and rising rates, while Southeast Asia is gaining importance as a manufacturing and logistics hub. This shift is being driven by the need for high-value, oversized, and time-critical cargo, including GPUs, servers, and data centre infrastructure. The STAT Trade Times reports that companies are adapting to this new landscape, with logistics providers managing additional trade lanes, customs regimes, and production handoffs.