SHIFT Making Sense of Supply Chains and Tariffs
Jul 16, 2025
Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of Altana, dives into the intricate world of global supply chains and tariffs. He discusses how the U.S. trade war complicates the management of AI data center construction costs. The podcast reveals innovative solutions like real-time mapping of supply chains to address these challenges. Smith highlights the pivotal role of China in processing critical technology materials, underlining how shifting trade policies impact national security. This conversation uncovers the complexities businesses face in navigating today's economic landscape.
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Global Value Chains As Visible Networks
- Altana maps the entire extended value chain for every product by connecting vast supply-chain data into a network view.
- Evan Smith says this ‘Google Maps for the supply chain’ reveals movements, transformations, and facility relationships globally.
AI Powers A Product-Level Supply Map
- Altana uses AI to render billions of supply-chain datapoints into an interactive global map for products.
- The platform helps companies see not just direct suppliers but the extended ecosystem beyond immediate relationships.
Outsourcing Left Firms Blind To Production
- Decades of outsourcing created dispersed production networks that most firms no longer fully control or understand.
- Evan Smith argues that recent events make it imperative for companies and governments to know and manage entire value chains.