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The new year dawned with a series of supply chain developments tied to technology, manufacturing and delivery operations. Governments moved to tighten oversight of critical technologies, retailers continued testing faster fulfillment models, and manufacturers worked through ongoing supply and capacity challenges. Companies pushed forward with new delivery options, policymakers focused on securing sensitive supply chains, and logistics providers adjusted how last-mile access is priced and managed. Here’s a look at some of the supply chain-related news that made headlines last month.
Qatar & UAE Join Pax Silica
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have joined a U.S.-led initiative aimed at securing AI and semiconductor supply chains, according to eWeek. Known as Pax Silica, the initiative focuses on safeguarding the end-to-end technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing capacity and data infrastructure.
Pax Silica was introduced in December 2025. Its members include Australia, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea and the UK. Organizations like ASML, Rio Tinto and Samsung have also been integrated into the ecosystem, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
This model reflects growing concern over the vulnerability of global technology supply chains, particularly for semiconductors and AI-related infrastructure, which are increasingly seen as strategic assets with national security implications.
“Unlike traditional military or political alliances, Pax Silica is structured around economic and industrial capacity rather than shared defense commitments,” eWeek reports. “Membership is determined by what each country can contribute across the technology value chain, from raw materials and manufacturing expertise to research, data infrastructure and market access.”
Aerial Groceries Coming to City Near You
Wing and Walmart will expand their drone delivery model out to an additional 150 stores over the next year, extending the service to more than 40 million customers nationwide. According to Wing, the expansion builds on existing operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Metro Atlanta, where drone delivery has moved beyond pilot status into regular use.
The companies want to have 270 drone delivery locations in place by 2027, including Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati and other new markets.
Walmart views drone delivery as a practical extension of its existing fulfillment strategy. “As we work together to rewire the retail delivery experience, this expansion builds on the success of our operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Metro Atlanta, where customers have already made drone delivery a normal part of their everyday lives,” Wing says, noting that 25% of customers ordered three times a week, and that delivery volume has tripled over the last six months.
Intel Supply Chain Snarls Continue
Intel is struggling to keep up with artificial intelligence-driven demand for its data-center chips due to supply constraints, Reuters reports. “After years of sitting out the AI boom that turned Nvidia into the world’s most valuable company,” it says, “Intel is finally enjoying a demand surge for its traditional server chips that are used alongside advanced graphics processors in data centers.”
The company is also feeling the impacts of the global memory supply shortage, the publication adds, “where price hikes are expected to dampen end-market demand in the personal computer market (Intel’s biggest segment).”
Intel is also dealing with a lag in changing the type of semiconductors it makes, hampering efforts to increase production of in-demand data center processors. Intel CFO David Zinsner said in an earnings call that he expects available supply to “improve in the second quarter after hitting its lowest levels in the first quarter,” Reuters adds.
USPS Gets Into the Last Mile
Also in January, the U.S. Postal Service rolled out a bidding website that accepts proposals for entry to its last-mile delivery network. More than 18,000 USPS destination delivery units (DDUs) and local processing centers (LPCs) nationwide are now accessible to a broader range of customers via the dedicated bid solicitation platform, the USPS said in a press release.
“We recognize trends in the shipping marketplace — as well as changing market conditions, supply chain disruptions and the effects of a post-pandemic world — have driven our customers to prioritize convenience,” the postmaster general said. “To best accommodate the growing needs of American commerce, and consumers, we are evolving our business strategies to better reflect the value in our last-mile delivery network.”
The Postal Service expects to formalize accepted bids for its Parcel Select product through a negotiated service agreement (NSA). Customers will be able to arrange an NSA to fit their needs, including length of contract, critical entry times and other terms and conditions. The organization will notify winning bidders sometime in the second quarter of the year and expects service to begin during the third quarter.
