If US President-elect Donald Trump realizes his protectionism-oriented Made in USA policy, US-based high-tech enterprises are expected to reduce their reliance on data centers abroad and add ones in the US. Consequently, Taiwan-based server maker Quanta Computer is likely to benefit because the company has set up two server assembly factories in Fremont, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, Japan-based Nikkei cited company senior vice president Mike Yang as indicating.

Quanta has stepped direct sales to data center owners/operators and set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT), specifically to promote direct sales. Yang is president of QCT.

If Trump realizes the policy, Quanta has advantages over other server makers which will have to evaluate the feasibility of shifting factories from Mexico or other areas to the US, Yang said. Quanta plans to double production capacity at the two factories in the US over three years, Yang noted.

While Quanta locates most of its notebook production capacity in China, the US has advantages over China for server production lines, Yang said, because most clients are based in the US. Production in the US reduces shipping time, and makes it easier to coordinate with clients if problems arise during design, Yang explained.

Quanta's direct sales feature customization, with clients able to choose software as well as customize servers, storage and networking equipment and racks, Yang noted. Customization and relatively low prices have helped QCT sell servers directly to data center operators, and put competitive pressure on server vendors including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell and Cisco Systems, Yang said.