With disruptions mounting across supply chains, many expected trade growth to slow.

Supply chains continue to face disruption. Geopolitical uncertainty, elevated fuel costs and operational challenges remain a reality for global logistics networks.

Yet freight demand remains remarkably strong. One of the explanations may be hiding in plain sight: artificial intelligence (AI).

Behind the digital ecosystem lies a massive physical network. Data centers must be built. Servers must be assembled. Semiconductors must be manufactured and transported. Networking equipment must move between suppliers, manufacturers and end users.

“Every AI application sits on a global supply chain,” said Niki Frank, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “While the conversation around AI often focuses on software and digital innovation, the technology ultimately depends on physical infrastructure moving across borders.”

The challenge behind the AI movement

In the current AI boom, servers, chips, networking equipment, advanced electronics and supporting hardware must move across borders swiftly and reliably to reach data centers, factories and businesses.

However, the broader logistics environment behind AI remains challenging.

Freight networks continue to contend with schedule volatility, elevated transportation costs and geopolitical uncertainty. These challenges make it harder to move time-sensitive, high-value technology products reliably, even as demand continues to grow.

In many ways, these disruptions should be constraining trade. Instead, freight demand continues to grow.

One of the most significant drivers is the growing volume of AI-related goods moving through global supply chains.

According to the latest DHL Globalization Tracker, AI-enabling goods accounted for 42 percent of global goods trade growth in 2025. By the first quarter of 2026, that figure had risen to 76 percent. Semiconductors and data-transmission equipment, the infrastructure powering AI, were among the largest contributors to today's trade growth.

The AI boom is becoming an air freight growth story

The latest air freight data further shows AI infrastructure, semiconductors, electronics, and data-center-related shipments emerging as major contributors to demand growth across several trade lanes.

AI-driven air cargo demand from Asia to North America continues to accelerate. Much of this demand stems from the movement of semiconductors, servers, networking equipment and other components required to support rapid data-center expansion. In August, South Korea-U.S. traffic grew 54 percent year on year, followed by India at 27 percent, Singapore at 22 percent, Japan at 20 percent and China at 16 percent.

These are not traditional consumer-goods flows. They are increasingly tied to semiconductors, servers, networking equipment, advanced electronics and the broader infrastructure needed to support AI deployment worldwide.

“Technology products, AI infrastructure, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing exports are becoming increasingly important drivers of freight demand,” said Fabio Weiss, Senior Vice President, Air Freight, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “Servers, chips, networking equipment, advanced electronics and supporting hardware must move across borders swiftly and reliably to reach data centers, factories and businesses.”

Unlike many traditional products, these shipments are often high-value, time-sensitive, and critical to production schedules.

“Delays can have significant downstream consequences for manufacturing, technology deployment and data-center construction,” said Fabio Weiss. “As a result, reliability is becoming just as important as cost.”

The AI boom may be digital in application, but it remains deeply physical in execution.

Adapting to the trade shifts

The challenge is no longer generating demand. It is executing reliably against that demand.

Air freight continues to reflect strong AI-related demand. Global air cargo volumes increased five percent year on year in August, while Asia outbound demand grew six percent. Demand on Asia-North America lanes rose 15 percent, maintaining a double-digit growth pace for a fifth consecutive month.

As AI infrastructure investment accelerates, freight networks are increasingly being asked to move high-value, time-sensitive cargo reliably and at scale. For many of these shipments, speed and predictability are becoming just as important as cost.

Trade is growing. The challenge is moving cargo predictably.

For shippers, the priority framework is shifting. The key questions are becoming:

1. Can the shipment be secured on the required service?
2. Is the route reliable?
3. What will it cost?

That represents a subtle but important shift. In an environment where routing decisions can change, schedules remain volatile and capacity remains under pressure, a lower freight rate is no guarantee of a lower total supply-chain cost.

AI as the main character in the air freight story

The latest freight data tells a story that goes far beyond rates, congestion and capacity.

This year, one of the biggest drivers of freight growth is the unprecedented buildout of AI infrastructure taking place around the world.

Every AI model depends on a physical supply chain. Servers must be assembled. Chips must be manufactured. Networking equipment must cross borders. Data centers must be built.

The AI revolution may happen in the digital world, but its growth increasingly depends on physical supply chains operating at global scale.

Despite ongoing disruption across global supply chains, investment in AI infrastructure continues to create new demand for semiconductors, servers, networking equipment and other high-value technology products. One of the most powerful forces reshaping air freight flows today is the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. As companies race to build data centers and deploy advanced technologies, the movement of chips, servers, networking equipment and supporting hardware is becoming an increasingly important source of freight demand.

“Goods continue to move where opportunity exists. The future of trade may look different, but it remains deeply connected,” said Niki Frank.