The AI boom is lifting factory towns across East Asia — and the World Bank noticed

The World Bank's October regional update finds the global AI surge is giving East Asia and the Pacific a real lift: demand for chips, electronics, and tech assembly is powering export growth in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, and regional growth is holding up better than expected. The report is honest about the gaps — high energy costs and slow AI adoption in small businesses — but the through-line is upward: factories humming, jobs shifting toward tech skills, and a region riding the wave.