Supply Chain Brain

Jason Morris, a founding partner and land-use and zoning specialist at Withey Morris Baugh, explains what’s really behind local opposition to the construction of data centers. For decades, Morris says, data centers were an easy sell to communities seeking commercial and industrial development. “They looked and acted like office buildings, but they had the benefit of very little traffic. Cities saw them favorably.” Cut to today, and it’s a different story.

The city of Shreveport, Louisiana, says that it has run out of fluoride for its drinking water, as disruptions stemming from the ongoing conflict in Iran continue to strain supplies across the United States. According to KSLA News, Shreveport believes that it could be months before it will be able to replenish its supply of fluoride, which has been added to the city's water system since 1977.

The conversation around sovereign defense capability usually starts with headline platforms such as the F-35 Lightning II or next-generation vehicle programs. Yet the resilience of those systems depends on thousands of specialist components and subassemblies sourced throughout the industrial base. A large part of the resilience sits much further down the supply chain. By the time a vehicle reaches the front line, its real-world performance has already been determined by Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi discussed an “interim framework” aimed at resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a joint statement carried by the Oman News Agency, as the two sides press ahead with long-running talks over navigation through the key waterway.

2026 has been a year of rapid market growth for the wind propulsion sector, as shipowners seek practical solutions to reduce fuel consumption and comply with tightening emissions regulations. According to the International Windship Association (IWSA), wind-assisted and primary wind propulsion technologies are proving their economic and environmental advantages.

2026 is the year of customs compliance enforcement. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the US Department of Justice will use every tool at their disposal — FCA, civil penalties, criminal prosecution, AI-enhanced targeting — to police the supply chain. Headed into 2027, the costs of a reactive trade compliance posture are steep, and the statute of limitations is long.

Prosecutors in Taiwan charged nine people — including a manager with tech giant Nvidia and two Super Micro employees — for allegedly illegally exporting high-end artificial intelligence servers to China. According to The Wall Street Journal, 74 AI servers from Super Micro were successfully shipped to China, 50 of which were routed through Indonesia, another eight were sent to Japan first, and 16 were delivered directly to China.

Two tankers moved through the Strait of Hormuz on August 24, representing the fewest commodity vessels to move through the waterway in a single day since early May. According to Reuters, the two crossings -- by one very large gas carrier and one very large crude carrier -- fell far short of the 10-day average of 14 daily commodity vessels tracked by freight intelligence service Kpler.

Xi Jinping’s government is sending a message of defiance to Donald Trump over China’s economic ties with Iran. Hours after the U.S. sanctioned dozens of Chinese entities and threatened to target an unspecified “major financial institution” for its dealings with Tehran, Beijing responded by saying its relationship with Iran “should not be disrupted or undermined.” China will take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its interests, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned.

UPS is investing more than $2 billion into boosting its international, healthcare and supply chain businesses, as the company looks to protect its network against future disruptions. According to CNBC, although the investments started in 2024, UPS had not previously disclosed the total dollar amount. The initiative is expected to continue through 2028, with the money set to go toward new and expanded logistics hubs, healthcare facilities and air connections across Asia, Europe and North America.