Otto von Bismarck once said, “God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America.” For much of our history, the Iron Chancellor was right about the third part. Abundant resources, entrepreneurial spirit, and a system that rewards innovation propelled us to global preeminence in the 20th century.
We invented the Internet Age, birthed the world’s most valuable tech giants, and are now leading the artificial intelligence revolution.
The rise of artificial intelligence promises to be much more eventful than the rise of the internet. It will lead to a higher quality of life for everyone in the first country to achieve AI dominance. AI is already being used for cancer detection and the development of self-driving vehicles that will reduce road deaths.
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The AI boom is shaping our economy, and we are now home to trillions of dollars of American AI innovation. America attracts 60% of global investment in AI infrastructure and is home to the lion’s share of cutting-edge models that will help solve problems for all Americans.
A car drives past a Digital Realty Data Center building in Ashburn, Virginia, March 17, 2025. (REUTERS/Lea Millis)
The growth of artificial intelligence is also the main driving force behind the growth of our economy. A Harvard economist found that without data centers, GDP growth in the first half of the year would have been just 0.1%.
As Vanguard’s chief economist recently noted, without this boom, “we would have seen substantially weaker growth rates.” AI infrastructure already supports more than 600,000 direct jobs – nearly one and a half times the employment of our 16 automakers combined – and is expected to boost our economy for decades to come.
But advantage is not fate. If we pause, China will outpace us and we will end up importing the technology of the future instead of exporting it. In reality, a new report in The Wall Street Journal highlighted how the AI race against China is as “consequential” as the Cold War because the technology “has the potential to impact large parts of the world’s population.”
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That’s why we’re both proud to have the Coalition for AI Infrastructure (AIIC) to ensure America finishes first.
Over the next five years, $5 trillion will be spent on AI infrastructure worldwide, generating $15.7 trillion in economic value over the next decade. Victory in the AI race means millions of well-paying jobs, relocating manufacturing and technology exports that secure our prosperity. Defeat means ceding everything to China, which would become the undisputed economic and military superpower.
China is closing the gap at breakneck speed. It holds nearly 75% of the global AI patents and their models reach 80% to 90% of US capabilities at a significantly lower cost. Chinese cloud providers plan to increase capital spending by 65% by 2025, supported by subsidies that essentially make energy free for their businesses.
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang bluntly warns: “China is going to win the AI race” unless we take action. If Beijing dominates, it will control autonomous weapons, cyberwarfare and global supply chains. US data – from medical records to financial details – would flow through Chinese systems, exposing citizens to surveillance, manipulation and breaches.
As President Donald Trump has stated, AI breakthroughs could “reshape the global balance of power.” Former President Joe Biden also agreed: “We will not allow America to be outdone when it comes to the technology that will define the future.” They both understand that there is no scenario in which things will end well if China exports the robots and models that power the world of tomorrow.
President Donald Trump and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia stand for a photo with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other participants at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Instead of embracing the stakes of this AI race, many politicians and experts are resorting to fear-mongering about AI. Polls now show that 83% of Chinese citizens view AI as useful, while in the US only 39% are optimistic
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Unfortunately, as usual, the prevailing narratives spread in the press and on social media are often simplistic and inaccurate. We’re told that data centers are the reason many Americans are experiencing higher energy costs. Maine, with a negligible number of data centers, saw the strongest year-over-year increases; Virginia, home to most, did not.
Goldman Sachs recently published an analysis of energy prices across the country and found that electricity price increases were most pronounced in states that had retired reliable energy sources and had burdensome regulations. The company noted that states with the lowest price inflation had “robust availability of local resources (coal/wind/gas)” that “helped keep electricity rates lower with sufficient supply.”
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Water consumption? Minimal and often recycled – less than American golf courses. Fear of job loss? Recycled ominous saying. Jeremy Rifkin’s 1995 prophecy about Internet-induced mass unemployment turned out to be laughably false, and so are today’s dire consequences. The nature of AI infrastructure, from energy companies to data centers and hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft, means that the growth of the sector will require hiring systems engineers, electricians, facilities managers, and so on. Google has already announced that it will support an effort to train 100,000 new electricians.
As President Donald Trump has stated, AI breakthroughs could “reshape the global balance of power.”
But if the United States wants to remain the leading AI country, we need common sense that allows for reform. America needs to build out its energy infrastructure and semiconductor factories. Yet one in five AI projects dies in hell, putting $64 billion in investments at risk. Since the beginning of 2024, China has added 429 gigawatts to its energy capacity; we managed to add 68 gigawatts.
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Likewise, federal policymakers must address the confusing patchwork of AI laws across the country with sensible legislation to preempt state laws. We need clear guardrails that protect people while allowing builders to build. The goal is simple: unleash American ingenuity, don’t shut it down.
America can and must win the AI race. Let’s build the future here, fuel it with abundant energy, train our people to thrive in it, and keep the dividends flowing to the American people.
Garret Graves served as Congressman for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District from 2015 to 2025 and is co-chair of the AI Infrastructure Coalition.
