Five Questions With… Sydney Xiao, President, East Asia Region, Global Electronics Association

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

AI infrastructure is reshaping the electronics industry, shifting demand from consumer products to high-performance computing systems and driving new opportunities and challenges across the global supply chain. In this edition of “Five Questions With…,” Sydney Xiao highlights the growing importance of talent development, supply chain resilience, collaboration, and standards as companies navigate rapid technological and geopolitical change.

Q1: What is the most important shift happening in the electronics industry right now, and why does it matter?

Demand is moving from consumer electronics to computing infrastructure, especially AI data centers and high-performance systems. This is a structural change, not just a short-term trend. AI requires massive computing power, which is driving growth across the entire electronics supply chain—from semiconductors and advanced packaging to PCBs, power systems, and servers. It also brings new challenges in system design, such as power density and thermal management. This shift matters because it is redefining where value is created in the industry.

Q2: What is one challenge the industry must solve in the next 3–5 years, and what will it take to get there?

Talent. The industry can build factories and scale production quickly, but it cannot develop skilled engineers and technicians at the same speed. As systems become more complex, the gap in capabilities becomes more visible. To address this, we need to treat talent development as long-term infrastructure—invest early, strengthen training systems, and align education with industry needs. Standards and certification also play an important role, because they provide a common understanding of skills and quality across regions.

Q3: What's one lesson you've learned that still shapes how you lead today?

One lesson that continues to guide me is to always start from the customer and member perspective. In East Asia, we work with a highly diverse, fast-moving industry, so it is important to stay close to what companies actually need, not just what we think is important. When you put members first, priorities become clearer, and actions become more focused. For me, leadership is about serving the ecosystem and helping our members succeed, not just managing internal goals.

Q4: What global dynamics are having the biggest impact on the industry right now?

There are three major forces: AI-driven demand, regionalization of the supply chain, and geopolitical changes. AI is driving strong investment in advanced technologies. At the same time, companies are rethinking supply chains to improve resilience, not just efficiency. Geopolitical factors are also influencing decisions around manufacturing, materials, and technology. These forces are happening at the same time, and companies need to understand how they interact, not treat them separately.

Q5: Where should organizations invest today to stay competitive tomorrow?

I would highlight three areas. 

1. Technology innovation, especially in high-performance computing, connectivity, and system reliability, is becoming critical in the AI era. 
2. Supply chain collaboration. As systems become more complex, no company can work in isolation—stronger collaboration across the value chain is essential. 
3. Standards and quality systems. As electronics become part of critical infrastructure, consistency, reliability, and a shared technical framework are more important than ever.

Companies that strengthen these three capabilities will be better positioned for long-term growth.

This article originally appeared on the blog for the Global Electronics Association.