ASEAN’s turn
ASEAN’s industrial policy: AI, chips and clean energy
The economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are rapidly evolving. In an effort to capture a larger share of higher-value manufacturing, its 11 members are shifting their focus from traditional industries towards building AI infrastructure and clean-energy capacity.
As ASEAN leaders gather for the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, this report, written by Economist Enterprise and supported by GCash, examines how this industrial shift is taking shape. Drawing on new EIU analysis and an interview with Frederick D. Go, the finance secretary of the Philippines, it assesses the region’s industrial ambitions and the challenges of turning plans into action.
Moving up the chip stack:
The region has long assembled, tested and packaged chips; governments now want a larger share of design, advanced packaging and fabrication.
Building digital resilience:
The expansion of AI makes the stability of digital systems, networks and energy supply on which it depends increasingly critical.
Powering the upgrade:
The ASEAN Power Grid aims to improve regional energy security, integrate renewable energy and optimise power-infrastructure investment.
