Every century has a breakthrough that changes everything.
▢ In the 20th century, it was electricity and nuclear power.
▢ In the late 20th, it was the internet.
▢ Now, in the 21st, it is artificial intelligence.
AI is not just another technology. It is the foundation for all future technologies. It will decide who leads the economy, who controls the future of work, who secures their nation, and who shapes humanity’s destiny in space and beyond.
The United States and China are locked in an AI arms race. The winner will set the rules for the global economy, climate solutions, and security infrastructure for decades to come. Losing this race is not an option.
This is America's AI Manhattan Project — with the urgency of wartime mobilization, and the inspiration of an Apollo moonshot. It is the defining race of our time.
Electricity powered the factories of the 20th century. The internet powered globalization and communication in the 21st. AI will power everything next.
▢ Medicine - AI detects cancer earlier, designs new drugs, and supports doctors.
▢ Education - AI tutors personalize learning for every child, closing gaps.
▢ Business - AI automates routine work, boosts productivity, and invents new markets.
▢ Daily Life - AI will drive our cars, manage homes, and streamline our finances.
▢ Defense - AI commands drones, satellites, and cyber security.
▢ New Science/Physics - Breakthroughs mean faster cures for disease, new energy sources, and even new physics that could redefine our civilization.
Unlike past technologies, AI advances exponentially. Every six to twelve months, frontier AI models double in power. This pace means nations that hesitate risk falling behind permanently.
The AI race mirrors the Cold War space race — but it is moving much faster.
▢ Centralized planning - rapid buildout of data centers, fabs, and AI infrastructure.
▢ Dominance in critical minerals refining (lithium, cobalt, rare earths).
▢ Manufacturing scale unmatched by any other nation.
▢ A vast STEM workforce.
▢ Frontier AI models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta).
▢ Leadership in semiconductor design and R&D.
▢ Hyperscale cloud providers (xAI, Microsoft, Google, Amazon).
▢ Entrepreneurial ecosystem of AI startups.
▢ The U.S. leads in research and innovation.
▢ China leads in deployment and supply chains.
▢ If the U.S. fails to execute quickly, leadership will shift east.The AI race mirrors the Cold War space race — but it is moving much faster.
To lead, the U.S. must mobilize across eight key pillars. Each represents both a bottleneck and an opportunity.
Energy is the base of the AI stack. Without reliable, scalable power, no other pillar matters. Nations that control cheap, abundant, resilient energy will dominate AI scaling. Energy independence (microgrids, renewables + storage, nuclear, hydrogen) becomes as strategic as GPU access.
Chips enable AI. But energy enables chips, datacenters, and fleets. The AI arms race begins — and ends — as an energy arms race.
AI factories — data centers, fabs, gigafactories — are absolute energy hogs. A single AI campus can require as much power as a mid-size city.
Bottlenecks:
▢ Long permitting delays for transmission lines.
▢ Shortages of transformers (GOES) and switchgear.
▢ Shortages of power electronic devices (SiC, GaN).
▢ Slow utility interconnect timelines.
Solution:
▢ Build microgrids with distributed energy resources (DER) — solar, wind, batteries.
▢ Use BESS (battery storage) and LNG bridge gensets to ensure reliability.
▢ Harden the grid for resilience against cyber and other threats.
AI chips are the new oil. They power every frontier model, every training run.
Bottlenecks:
▢ Dependence on TSMC for advanced logic chips.
▢ Dependence on ASML EUV lithography machines.
▢ Shortages of advanced packaging (CoWoS).
Solution:
▢ Scale domestic fabs under the CHIPS Act.
▢ Expand advanced packaging capacity in the U.S. and allies.
▢ Accelerate SiC/GaN production for power electronics in EVs, robotics, and microgrids.
AI requires a new generation of data centers — liquid-cooled, high-density, modular campuses.
Bottlenecks:
▢ Land and water scarcity.
▢ Interconnection delays.
▢ Cooling requirements.
Solution:
▢ Deploy modular data centers at energy-rich sites.
▢ Pair with microgrids for fast, resilient buildouts.
▢ Incentivize liquid cooling and immersion systems.
AI's physical embodiment — EV fleets, robots, logistics — all require batteries. Solar and wind require battery storage.
Bottlenecks:
▢ China dominates lithium refining and graphite processing.
▢ U.S. still lags in battery recycling and alternative chemistries.
Solution:
▢ Invest in U.S. refining, extraction, and recycling.
▢ Scale sodium-ion and solid-state R&D.
AI is moving off screens into the physical world — EVs, humanoid robots, autonomous fleets.
Bottlenecks:
▢ Scaling from pilot projects to mass production.
▢ Supply chain fragility (actuators, sensors, compute).
Solution:
▢ Expand robotics and EV supply chains domestically.
▢ Incentivize adoption in logistics, healthcare, and defense.
Without people, AI is just machines, which need to be programmed, maintained and repaired. China produces nearly 10X more STEM grads than the U.S. annually.
Bottlenecks:
▢ Shortage of AI scientists, engineers, electricians, robotics specialists.
Solution:
▢ Launch a national reskilling program.
▢ Deploy AI tutors in K–12 to personalize learning.
▢ Scale vocational training for electricians, coders, and technicians.
Climate is often framed as competition with AI. The truth: AI is the multiplier. Without AI, sustainability/emission goals will fail. The scale of the problem and its transition is too complex for humans alone.
▢ AI enables smart grids that balance renewables.
▢ AI speeds materials discovery for new battery and solar technologies.
▢ AI optimizes energy efficiency in buildings and factories.
The AI race doesn’t stop at Earth. Space is the ultimate high ground. AI ensures superiority.
▢ LEO constellations: control of satellites, alt-GPS networks.
▢ Moon & Mars: resources, research, colonization.
▢ National security: AI-enhanced cyber, surveillance, and defense.