We're on opposite sides of the aisle. But we know America must win the AI race, or else

Otto von Bismarck erstwhile said, "God has a peculiar providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America." For overmuch of our history, the Iron Chancellor was close astir the 3rd part. Abundant resources, entrepreneurial tone and a strategy that rewards innovation propelled america to planetary pre-eminence successful the 20th century.  

We invented the net age, birthed the world's astir invaluable tech giants, and present pb the artificial quality revolution. 

The artificial quality roar promises to beryllium much eventful than the dawn of the internet. It volition pb to a higher prime of beingness for everyone successful the archetypal state to execute AI dominance. AI is already being harnessed for crab detection and for processing self-driving vehicles that volition little postulation fatalities. 

THE NEW ARMS RACE IS FOR COMPUTE — AND AMERICA CAN’T AFFORD TO FALL BEHIND

The AI roar is defining our economy, and we’re present location to trillions of dollars successful American AI innovation.  America attracts 60% of planetary AI infrastructure concern and hosts the lion's stock of cutting-edge models that volition assistance lick problems for each Americans.  

A car drives past a gathering of the Digital Realty Data Center successful Ashburn, Virginia, March 17, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

The maturation of artificial quality is besides the astir important unit keeping our system growing. One Harvard economist recovered that without information centers, GDP maturation would person been conscionable 0.1% successful the archetypal fractional of the year.   

As Vanguard's main economist precocious noted, without this boom, "we would person seen substantially weaker maturation numbers." AI infrastructure already supports much than 600,000 nonstop jobs — astir 1.5 times the employment of our 16 automakers combined — and is anticipated to supercharge our system for decades to come. 

But vantage isn’t destiny. If we pause, China volition sprint past america and we’ll extremity up importing, not exporting, the exertion of the future. In fact, a caller study successful The Wall Street Journal highlighted however the AI contention against China is arsenic "consequential" arsenic the Cold War due to the fact that the exertion has the "potential to power ample swaths of the planetary population."

AMERICA'S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE 

This is wherefore we’re some arrogant to motorboat the AI Infrastructure Coalition (AIIC) to guarantee that America finishes first.

The adjacent 5 years volition spot $5 trillion successful planetary AI infrastructure spending, yielding $15.7 trillion successful economical worth implicit the pursuing decade. Victory successful the AI contention means millions of high-paying jobs, reshored manufacturing, and technological exports that unafraid our prosperity. Defeat means ceding it each to China, which would go the unchallenged economical and subject superpower.   

China is closing the spread astatine breakneck speed. It holds astir 75% of planetary AI patents and their models execute 80% to 90% of U.S. capabilities astatine importantly little costs. Chinese unreality providers program 65% capital-expenditure hikes successful 2025, backed by subsidies that marque vigor fundamentally escaped for their firms.

RAPID RISE OF AI PUTS NEW URGENCY ON CONGRESS TO UNLEASH AMERICAN ENERGY  

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang warns bluntly: "China is going to triumph the AI race" unless we act. If Beijing dominates, it volition power autonomous weapons, cyber warfare and planetary proviso chains. American information — from wellness records to fiscal details — would travel done Chinese systems, exposing citizens to surveillance, manipulation and breaches.  

As President Donald Trump has declared, AI breakthroughs could "reshape the planetary equilibrium of power." Former President Joe Biden besides agreed: "We volition not fto America beryllium outbuilt erstwhile it comes to the exertion that volition specify the future." They some recognize that determination is nary script wherever allowing China to export the robots and models that powerfulness tomorrow's satellite ends well. 

President Donald Trump and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia basal for a photograph with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and different participants astatine the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum astatine the Kennedy Center connected November 19, 2025, successful Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Instead of embracing the stakes of this AI race, galore politicians and pundits are resorting to fearmongering astir AI. Polling present shows that 83% of Chinese citizens spot AI arsenic beneficial, portion conscionable 39% are optimistic successful the U.S.

THE ROAD TO PROSPERITY WILL BE PAVED BY AUTONOMOUS TRUCKING 

Unfortunately, arsenic is typical, the prevailing narratives pushed successful the property and connected societal media are often simplistic and inaccurate. We’re told that information centers are the crushed galore Americans are facing accrued inferior costs. Maine, with a negligible fig of information centers, saw the steepest year-over-year hikes; Virginia, location to the most, did not. 

Goldman Sachs precocious published an investigation of vigor prices crossed the state and recovered that energy terms increases were astir pronounced successful states that retired reliable sources of vigor and had onerous regulations. The steadfast noted that states with the slightest terms ostentation had "robust section assets availability (coal/wind/gas)" that "helped support energy rates little with ample supply."

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Water usage? Minimal and often recycled — little than America's play courses. Job nonaccomplishment fears? Recycled doomsaying. Jeremy Rifkin's 1995 prophecy of internet-induced wide unemployment proved laughably wrong, and truthful volition existent dooming. The quality of the AI infrastructure stack, from vigor companies to information centers to hyperscalers specified arsenic Google and Microsoft, means that the maturation of the assemblage volition necessitate the hiring of systems engineers, electricians, facilities managers, and truthful forth. Google has already announced it volition enactment an effort to bid 100,000 caller electrical workers. 

As President Donald Trump has declared, AI breakthroughs could "reshape the planetary equilibrium of power." 

But if the United States is going to proceed to beryllium the starring AI nation, we request common-sense permitting reform. America needs to physique retired its vigor infrastructure and semiconductor fabrication plants. Yet 1 successful 5 AI projects dies successful permitting hell, imperiling $64 cardinal successful investments. Since aboriginal 2024, China added 429 gigawatts to its vigor capacity; we managed to adhd 68 gigawatts.

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Likewise, national policymakers request to code the confusing patchwork of AI laws crossed the federation with sensible authorities to preempt authorities laws. We request wide guardrails that support radical portion enabling builders to build. The extremity is simple: unleash American ingenuity, don’t immobilize it. 

America tin and indispensable triumph the AI race. Let’s physique the aboriginal here, powerfulness it with abundant energy, bid our radical to thrive successful it, and guarantee that the dividends travel to the American people. 

Garret Graves served arsenic a congressman for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District from 2015 to 2025 and is simply a co-chair of the AI Infrastructure Coalition.