A recent opinion article warns that local and political resistance to building new data centers in the United States could undermine the country’s economic strength and national security at a time of accelerating competition with China in artificial intelligence. The piece argues that today’s large-scale computing infrastructure is analogous to wartime industrial capacity, and contends that restrictions on new facilities would benefit strategic rivals. Citing estimates that the United States holds about 75% of global AI compute capacity versus roughly 15% for China, the author emphasizes U.S. leadership in generative AI while noting China’s focus on industrial and military applications.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.