U.S. Navigates Strategic Interdependence in AI Competition with China
The U.S. is engaged in a complex artificial intelligence (AI) competition with China, characterized by strategic interdependence rather than outright containment. Historically, Washington has focused on controlling access to critical components of the AI technology stack, such as advanced chips, computing power, and sophisticated semiconductor equipment, to maintain its technological lead. However, the nature of this competition is evolving from a focus on technology stacks to a broader contest between entire AI ecosystems. While the initial phase of the AI revolution emphasized scale through data, GPUs, and computing power, the current frontier competition increasingly relies on advanced capabilities like reasoning, reinforcement learning, synthetic data, and expert evaluation. This shift means that organized intelligence used to train AI is becoming a more scarce strategic resource than mere computation. The U.S. strategy aims to preserve its technological advantage while acknowledging the risks of compl... 
