A massive expansion in data center infrastructure, driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), has created new challenges in global trade and the physical distribution of data center build-outs.
Data center build-outs are currently facing extreme complexities due to physical infrastructure shortages and intricate trade dependencies.
Strategic planning is needed now more than ever to allow businesses to scale their data center supply chains. Let’s break down the physical, logistical, and geopolitical landscape of data center infrastructure in 2026.
Importing Infrastructure and Hardware for Data Center Build-Outs
The physical organization of a data center is just as important as the code it runs. For instance, AI is a powerful, energy-intensive software that requires massive, physical data centers to operate.
To statistically frame the enormity of data center build-outs, the United States reached $653 billion in data center equipment imports in 2025, a 109% increase since 2020.
For these AI data centers to operate, they need servers, storage, effective cable management, networking, power systems, and cooling systems. These elements have been separated into two “stacks” as follows:
The Computing Stack: This includes the servers (for processing), chips, cooling systems, and networking gear that process code.
The Power Stack: This is the electrical infrastructure, raw materials, switchgear, transformers, and lithium-ion batteries required to keep the computing stack from shutting down.
Prefabricated Data Center Modules
Prefabricated Data Center (PDC) modules are pre-built data center units designed for rapid deployment and easy scalability. Their purpose is to meet the massive demand for AI and cloud computing, particularly in edge data center environments.
While prefabricated data center build-outs offer significant speed-to-market advantages due to their pre-built nature, they also present unique trade compliance, logistical, and licensing challenges.
Prefabricated DC modules comprise several sub-components (each with its own set of HS codes and import permits), putting them at risk of misclassifications at customs.
For example, PDC modules are often classified as “buildings” in some jurisdictions, triggering construction import duties rather than IT equipment rates. This classification error can cost 15–25% in excess duties.
If you aren’t sure how to correctly classify or compliantly import your prefabricated data center modules, TecEx can help.
Trade Challenges for Data Center Build Outs
The complexity and scale of data center build-outs pose several challenges for importers. For instance, many tech products (e.g., AI chips) are often classified as dual-use goods by customs, which triggers complex export licensing requirements.
Data center build-out challenges stem from a divergence between the two stacks discussed earlier, as well as significant regulatory hurdles at international borders.
Supply Chain Divergence and Dependency
| The Computing Stack | The Power Stack |
|---|---|
The United States imports over 95% of its servers, and the majority of semiconductors are sourced from Taiwan. This has made the industry sensitive to any regional supply chain disruptions. | Critical power infrastructure remains heavily dependent on specific suppliers. In particular, 99% of global lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode production, the primary battery chemistry used for data center energy storage, is produced by China. |
This regional reliance of data center procurement is currently a major barrier to development and has resulted in shortages of essential tech equipment and infrastructure. These shortages have caused lead times for large power transformers to stretch up to five years. Other critical components, such as generators and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems, often face 12 to 18-month waits.
Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions are legal designations used by the US government to identify countries, such as China, that are deemed a potential risk to economic security. These restrictions are primarily enforced through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed in July 2025.
While FEOC rules impact various sectors, they are currently a critical focus for battery storage systems used in data centers, and these restrictions are not limited to factory location. OBBBA provisions that companies must prove that at least 60% of their battery materials come from sources other than “Foreign Entities of Concern” in order to receive federal tax credits.
Seamless Imports for Data Center Build-Outs
The surge in AI-driven data center build-outs demands a strategic approach to export and import policy compliance, logistics routing, and shipping processes. For data center developers navigating import complexities, an IOR can help by assuming audit responsibility and handling customs compliance documentation.
As your trusted IOR, TecEx is your single point of contact for all compliance and pre-compliance processes, logistics management, and last-mile delivery coordination. TecEx can assist with origin verification, tariff accuracy, correct product classifications, obtaining specialized permits and licenses, and meeting deployment timelines for your tech imports.
