Three Major US Tech Companies Accelerate 'Decoupling from China'—The Future of Supply Chain Restructuring and AI Infrastructure
Geopolitical tensions between the US and China are shaking the foundations of the technology industry. China, which has supported the global IT industry as the 'world's factory,' is now increasingly being viewed as a hotbed of risk.
According to a report by Nikkei Asia, major US tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google are rapidly advancing plans to shift the production of manufacturing and data center components outside of China.
This move signifies not just a 'diversification of production bases,' but the beginning of a new supply chain restructuring war under the US-China tech cold war.
1. Microsoft: Moving Surface and Data Centers 'Out of China'
According to reports, Microsoft has set a policy to move up to 80% of component production for its Surface series (notebooks and tablets) and cloud data center products outside of China by 2026.
A supply chain source told Nikkei, 'The scope of this is very broad, and it includes the components and assembly required for future laptop and server products.'
To facilitate this transition, Microsoft is requesting that existing partner companies establish production capacity outside of China starting in 2025. Furthermore, moves are reportedly underway to shift some production of its popular Xbox products to Southeast Asia.
1-1. Background: Accelerating AI Demand and Server Expansion
Microsoft's goal is not merely to avoid political risk. As the AI cloud race intensifies, the company is prioritizing the resilience of its server supply chain.
If Chinese-made components were to be stalled by a Taiwan Strait contingency or export restrictions, it would have a serious impact on Azure and OpenAI-linked services. Therefore, 'geopolitical diversification of the supply chain' has become a prerequisite for its AI hegemony strategy.
2. Amazon Web Services: Redesigning AI Data Center Infrastructure
AWS is also steering toward reducing its reliance on Chinese-made components. According to reports, the company is considering reducing its procurement of printed circuit boards from SYE, a long-time major supplier, and has conducted a re-evaluation of components for AI data centers.
For AWS, the GPU clusters and server infrastructure that support AI models are a lifeline. Since a halt in board supply would affect overall cloud operations, securing alternative supply chains has become an urgent issue.
Amazon has already been building a 'multinational production network' that includes Taiwan, Malaysia, and India, and is showing a stance of gradually reducing its dependence on China.
3. Google: Thailand as a New Manufacturing Hub
Meanwhile, Google is actively expanding Thailand as a new hub for server production. According to Nikkei, the company has already formed partnerships with several local partners to establish an integrated system from component supply to assembly.
3-1. The Wave of Southeast Asian Reorganization
Google's move aligns with the global trend of turning the ASEAN region into a manufacturing base. In recent years, Apple has also expanded production of iPhones and MacBooks in Vietnam and India, and Southeast Asia is emerging as the center of the 'post-China' supply chain.
However, as Nikkei also points out, achieving a complete transition in a short period is not easy. Chinese component suppliers are among the best in the world in terms of both cost competitiveness and technical capability, and the path to decoupling from China is blocked by the dual walls of 'cost and lead time.'
4. The US-China Tech Hegemony War in the Background
This movement of supply chain relocation is not just a corporate decision, but is set against the backdrop of an exchange of retaliatory economic measures between the US and China.
The US is restricting exports of AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, and China is countering by strengthening export controls on strategic resources such as rare earths and graphite.
As a result, for US companies, 'producing in China' is itself turning into a sanctions risk.
Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all declined to comment, but their strategies are consistent. That is—
a shared recognition that 'reorganizing manufacturing bases is a prerequisite for the next-generation AI race.'
5. Future Outlook: The Path of Supply Chain Restructuring
Over the next three years, the 'decoupling from China' shift by major US tech companies will likely accelerate further. However, complete separation is not realistic.
Rather, it is expected that the construction of a 'hybrid supply chain' that repositions China from a 'primary base' to a 'complementary partner' will become mainstream.
While emerging manufacturing nations such as Southeast Asia, India, and Mexico are on the rise, the risk of hollowing out technical know-how is also being pointed out. Supply chain reorganization is not just a geographical relocation, but also a new management challenge of how to maintain technical succession and quality assurance globally.
