Why Is the AI Gold Rush Turning the Digital Economy Into a Physical One?

Q1 Why is this moment being called an AI gold rush?
Global demand for AI servers and advanced chips is accelerating at a pace that is reshaping trade flows. Taiwan’s latest export data shows a 56 percent year over year surge to USD 64 billion, marking the 25th straight month of growth. Shipments of information and communication tech, including AI servers, grew 1.7 times. This is the strongest signal yet that AI demand is moving from hype to real economic impact.

Q2 How is the AI gold rush shifting global supply chains?
Export patterns are changing quickly. The United States now accounts for more than 38 percent of Taiwan’s exports, the highest share in 15 years, while shipments to China and Hong Kong have fallen to a 24 year low. This reflects a structural shift toward more resilient and diversified global supply chains, with Taiwan positioned at the center of the realignment.

Q3 What does chip demand tell us about the next stage of AI?
Orders for Nvidia’s H200 chip illustrate the intensity of the competition. The H200 is nearly six times more capable than the H20. Even before formal approval, grey market channels had already moved units into China, including 384 chips in one county level purchase and plans for more than eight thousand chips in a data center project. When compute becomes essential infrastructure, demand finds a way.

Listen to the podcast for a full breakdown of the signals shaping this transition and what they mean for global decision-makers.