DIGITIMES ASIA: Asia's moment in the AI age: APAC rises as infrastructure powerhouse at OCP, Taiwan forges global tech ties

TAIPEI, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As AI infrastructure continues to reshape global supply chains, the Open Compute Project (OCP) APAC Summit held in Taipei on August 5, 2025, highlighted the Asia-Pacific region's expanding role in the development and deployment of open hardware technologies. Speakers from the OCP Foundation and Taiwan's tech industry emphasized the region's growing contributions to AI data center infrastructure and its significance in future technology roadmaps.

Credit: Joseph Chen

Cliff Grossner, Chief Innovation Officer at the OCP Foundation, opened the summit by calling APAC an "extremely vibrant community," noting that participation from the region's corporate members has reached record levels. "Thirty percent of our corporate members now come from APAC," he said, highlighting that the region accounts for nearly 40% of OCP-certified data center-ready facilities and 28% of its experience centers.

APAC emerges as OCP's growth engine

Grossner pointed out that Asia's engagement with OCP goes far beyond attendance or certification—it's increasingly a source of technical leadership.

Over the past year, 20% of contributions to OCP projects included an APAC-based corporate member. APAC is also the dominant marketplace for future infrastructure spending: IDC projects that 36% of the over US$190 billion in OCP-related equipment spending will come from this region.

Grossner credited this surge to the region's urgent push to deploy scalable AI data center solutions, a need being accelerated by government policy, hyperscaler investment, and hardware innovation.

He also confirmed OCP's plans to return to Taipei in 2026. "It's because of you that I can make that statement," he told the audience. "We'll be back next year."

While Grossner framed APAC as an emerging tech engine, DIGITIMES Chairman and CEO Colley Hwang provided the local blueprint.

Credit: Joseph Chen

Taiwan anchors global tech manufacturing

In a keynote titled "AI Supply Chain Reinvent: Building a Better Eco-System," Hwang argued that Taiwan is no longer merely supporting the global tech industry—it is quietly anchoring it.

"Taiwan has the best infrastructure in the world for the tech sector," Hwang said, pointing to a vast web of factories, suppliers, and engineering talent that together form an ecosystem unparalleled in scale and integration.

The data he presented reveals Taiwan's central role: Taiwan (China) is the origin of 26% of the US server imports and 40% of China's, even when final assembly occurs in countries like Mexico or Vietnam. TSMC now accounts for more than 90% of the world's AI chip production, placing Taiwan at the center of the AI compute stack.

He also noted that Taiwan's economy is structurally distinct. While most advanced nations are demand-side driven, Taiwan's economy is 38% reliant on manufacturing, compared to just 10% in the United States. "It's not about consumption—it's about capability," he said.

Credit: Joseph Chen

Hardware drives AI evolution

Beyond hardware, Hwang highlighted Taiwan's design innovation strength, claiming that its design industry is ten times the scale of South Korea's, despite having less than half its population. Taiwan's top eight server manufacturers operate more than 120 production sites globally, reflecting a global manufacturing footprint built through decades of specialization.

Hwang aimed popular Silicon Valley narratives, suggesting that while "AI is eating software," in practice, "hardware will eat AI." As AI workloads push the boundaries of memory, bandwidth, and heat, performance gains increasingly depend not on algorithms alone, but on foundry technologies, advanced packaging, and system integration.

Taiwan's golden decade ahead

Hwang also offered a broader perspective on the global semiconductor market, arguing that the true value of the ecosystem—when accounting for foundries, fabless players, equipment makers, and materials suppliers—already exceeds US$1 trillion, a milestone often underreported.

Looking ahead, Hwang predicted that Taiwan is entering a "golden age" lasting at least 10 years, driven by its manufacturing base, dense industrial clusters, and commitment to long-term reinvestment. He described Taiwan as a "small potato" and a "humble partner"—a role that emphasizes contribution over dominance. He urged global players, including OCP members, to "come to Taiwan more often," noting that firms like TSMC and Foxconn reinvest nearly 100% of their net profits into partnerships and infrastructure development.

From APAC to the Global Stage

Asia's impact on AI infrastructure is only just beginning.

The conversation will continue at the upcoming OCP Global Summit, where global hyperscalers, open hardware pioneers, and policy leaders will shape the next phase of AI-driven innovation.

For a deeper dive into rack-scale server design and thermal breakthroughs shared at OCP APAC, read our companion article here — available with your trial.

Start your 2-week free trial to access full coverage of both APAC and global events, plus exclusive insights from DIGITIMES Asia.