Can Earthquake in Myanmar disrupt PC hardware production? Manufacturers are checking out
We will see about that.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, March 28, shaking neighboring countries including Thailand, China and Vietnam — and came close to shaking up the technology industry.
Thailand and Vietnam are major production sites for companies like Intel, Seagate, and Western Digital. So far, these companies have not reported on damages and supply disruptions in their chains (at least, there are no appropriate filings with the SEC), but Taiwanese companies with manufacturing capacities in Thailand are indeed checking whether their capacities were disrupted and halting plants if they were, according to China Times.
Taiwanese tech companies — including manufacturers of servers, consumer electronics, PCBs, and even satellite components such as Chicony, Delta Electronics, Zhen Ding Tech, and Inventec — responded swiftly to the Myanmar earthquake. Most operate factories in Thailand and, despite strong tremors, reported no injuries or major damage.
Actions included temporary shutdowns, equipment checks, and staff evacuations, with operations resuming shortly after safety was confirmed. In fact, many of these companies are expanding production capacity in Thailand as part of their Southeast Asia shift from China. Many current facilities are located far from the quake's epicenter and remained largely unaffected, at least according to the report.
ODM manufacturer Inventec said its Thai operations in Samut Prakan and a nearby rented laptop factory were unaffected and running normally. Keyboard maker Chicony confirmed all staff were safe and production was ongoing. Quanta Computer confirmed no immediate problems but would issue updates if anything changed. Zhen Ding (Zhishen) and surveillance tech firm Vivotek also reported no damage or disruption at their Thailand sites.
Delta Electronics carried out a full evacuation at its Thai plant after feeling tremors; the company confirmed structural safety within an hour, and resumed normal operations. Lite-On also reported no impact from the quake.
King Yuan Electronics, an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test company, and c Global Communication, satellite communications, reported no damage at their Thai facilities. Their plants in Rayong and Chonburi were inspected and declared safe, and operations continued without interruption.
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Major PCB makers in Thailand also reported no disruption. Zhen Ding Tech said its Prachinburi facility was unaffected and running as usual. Compeq confirmed brief evacuations but no operational issues. Unimicron was not impacted due to its distance from the epicenter. Thai Lin confirmed full operational continuity and employee safety.
Asia Optical stated that its Yangon site in southern Myanmar and its northern Myanmar subcontracted plants, all single-story structures, were unaffected. Its subsidiary, Asia Tech Imaging, confirmed no issues. Contract manufacturer Kinpo said its Thai production lines were operating normally with no injuries or construction delays.
Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.
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bit_user It's a little surprising how much of the electronic supply chain is historically rooted in the Ring of Fire. We regularly hear about earthquakes in Taiwan and Japan.Reply
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Notton cheap labor + established workers are already skilled and trained + ease of access (shipping ports) + all necessary parts are made in the same region (established supply chain) = it doesn't make financial sense to move it elsewhere.Reply -
passivecool I find it disturbing that maybe tens of thousands of people have died, and the issue here is whether one has to wait maybe a week or two longer or pay a doller or two more to get that shiny new component (so that mission-critical game will run 3 fps better). Other portals are organizing donations...Reply
One death is a tragedy, one thousand is a statistic. gotcha. -
bit_user Reply
It happened in the midst of an active civil war that's been dragging on for several years. So, there's also that. From what I've heard, the epicenter was mostly in rebel-controlled territory and the government has restricted aid from reaching it, on previous occasions. The fact that government forces have continued areal bombing suggests this time will be no different. Therefore, I'd be careful about exactly who I'm donating to and how the money will be used. I think the Red Cross is pretty trust-worthy, as they make a point never to take sides.passivecool said:I find it disturbing that maybe tens of thousands of people have died, and the issue here is whether one has to wait maybe a week or two longer or pay a doller or two more to get that shiny new component (so that mission-critical game will run 3 fps better). Other portals are organizing donations...
One death is a tragedy, one thousand is a statistic. gotcha. -
drivinfast247 Reply
It's a tech forum. If you want to cry and mourn, go to Twitter.passivecool said:I find it disturbing that maybe tens of thousands of people have died, and the issue here is whether one has to wait maybe a week or two longer or pay a doller or two more to get that shiny new component (so that mission-critical game will run 3 fps better). Other portals are organizing donations...
One death is a tragedy, one thousand is a statistic. gotcha.