AIBRIEF

King Slide and Chenbro Speed Up US Manufacturing for AI Server Components

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EffectStory 編輯部Editorial Team
Published · Updated
According to a CNA report (carried also by CTS), Taiwan's King Slide (川湖) says its Houston plant will start mass production in the third quarter, while Chenbro (勤誠) has already opened a US NCT site in March and signed a Dallas plant deal in May, as both AI supply-chain suppliers post sharp first-half revenue gains.

How far along is King Slide's US plant, and when does production start?

King Slide general manager Lin Shu-chen said the company's Houston, Texas plant will begin mass production in the third quarter, which she described as an important new growth driver for the second half of the year, according to a CNA report. The same statement was carried by CTS.

Why did King Slide choose to build in the United States? What are the geopolitical considerations?

According to CNA, Lin explained that because King Slide's major AI customers are based in the United States, and in light of geopolitical considerations, the company decided against a piecemeal, "chase the market" approach. Instead, King Slide chose to "go all the way at once" and build directly in the United States, she said.

How did King Slide perform in the first half of the year, and what stood out in second-quarter revenue growth?

CNA reported that King Slide's first-half revenue reached NT$16.279 billion, almost double the same period last year. The report, also carried by CTS, highlighted that second-quarter revenue climbed in stages month by month: April revenue topped NT$2 billion, May topped NT$3 billion, and June topped NT$4 billion, each figure described in the report as breaking a new monthly threshold.

What stage is Chenbro's US site expansion at?

CNA reported that Chenbro, a server chassis maker also part of the AI component supply chain, completed and opened its US NCT (New Product Introduction and Prototyping) site in March this year. Separately, the report said Chenbro also launched construction plans for a mass-production plant in Dallas, Texas, with the contract signed in May; the Dallas site is expected to come online in stages in the second half of 2027, according to the same CNA report and its CTS reprint.

How did Chenbro's revenue perform in the first half, and did June set a new high?

According to CNA, Chenbro's first-half revenue came in at NT$14.928 billion, up 55.56% year over year. The report added that June revenue alone reached NT$3.237 billion, up 98.03% year over year, marking the first time monthly revenue crossed the NT$3 billion mark — a historical high for the company. Both figures were also carried in the CTS reprint.

CompanyMetricValue
King SlideH1 revenueNT$16.279 billion (nearly double YoY)
King SlideApril revenueOver NT$2 billion
King SlideMay revenueOver NT$3 billion
King SlideJune revenueOver NT$4 billion
ChenbroH1 revenueNT$14.928 billion (+55.56% YoY)
ChenbroJune revenueNT$3.237 billion (+98.03% YoY)

How does Chenbro's management view the AI industry trend and supply chain resilience?

Chenbro CEO Chen Ya-nan said, according to CNA, that this AI wave "is not a business cycle but a generational restructuring of the industry." Chen said the market is no longer competing on cost but on who is closer to customers and on supply chain resilience. For Chenbro, Chen said, "wherever the customer is, that's where Chenbro will be."

What this means

The timeline laid out across the CNA report and its CTS reprint shows two suppliers moving on parallel but staggered US tracks: Chenbro's NCT site opened in March and its Dallas plant was signed in May, targeting a second-half 2027 launch, while King Slide is set to begin Houston production in the third quarter of this year — putting King Slide's production start well ahead of Chenbro's planned Dallas ramp-up. Both companies' first-half revenue figures — King Slide's near-doubling to NT$16.279 billion and Chenbro's 55.56% rise to NT$14.928 billion, capped by Chenbro's record NT$3.237 billion June — line up with King Slide's own stated rationale for building in the US: that its major AI customers are American, and that, in Chen's words, competition now centers on proximity to customers and supply chain resilience rather than cost.

數據圖表:川湖、川湖 的 年第3季量產 比較,共 2 項數據,來源 2 處。
(來源:cna.com.tw)

📊 Evidence

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EffectStory 編輯部Editorial Team

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