Asia’s factories grew again in June, and the global scramble for AI hardware is doing much of the lifting, according to survey data published this week.
Brisk demand for chips, servers, and data-centre equipment kept order books full even as the Iran war pushed up energy costs and lengthened shipping times across the region. The pattern was clearest in China.
The RatingDog General Manufacturing PMI came in at 51.7 in June, a seventh straight month of expansion above the 50 line that separates growth from contraction.
High-tech manufacturing ran hotter still, posting a PMI of 53.5, well clear of the headline reading. That gap is the story in miniature, with AI-linked production outpacing the rest of the economy.
Japan told a similar tale. Its manufacturing PMI rose to 54.8 from 54.5 the month before, a sixth consecutive month of growth, with new orders climbing at their fastest pace in more than two years.
