While the U.S. government rightly has focused on protecting sensitive AI components in secure datacenters through export controls, an even more important element of this competition will involve a race between the United States and China to spread their respective technologies to other countries. Given the nature of technology markets and their potential network effects, this race between the U.S. and China for international influence likely will be won by the fastest first mover. Hence, the United States needs a smart international strategy to rapidly support American AI around the world.
This fundamental lesson emerges from the past 20 years of telecommunications equipment exports. Initially, American and European companies such as Lucent, Alcatel, Ericsson, and Nokia built innovative products that defined international standards. But as Huawei invested in innovation and China’s government subsidized sales of its products, especially across the developing world, adoption of these Chinese products outpaced the competition and became the backbone of numerous countries’ telecommunications networks. This created the technology foundation for what later became an important issue for the Trump Administration in 2020, as it grappled with the presence of Huawei’s 5G products and their implications for national and cybersecurity.
As we enter the second half of the decade, early signs suggest the Government of China is interested in replicating its successful telecommunications strategy. China is starting to offer developing countries subsidized access to scarce chips, and it’s promising to build local AI datacenters. The Chinese wisely recognize that if a country standardizes on China’s AI platform, it likely will continue to rely on that platform in the future.
The best response for the United States is not to complain about the competition but to ensure we win the race ahead. This will require that we move quickly and effectively to promote American AI as a superior alternative. And it will need the involvement and support of American allies and friends.
In FY 2025, Microsoft is on track to invest approximately $80 billion to build out AI-enabled datacenters to train AI models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications around the world. More than half of this total investment will be in the United States, reflecting our commitment to this country and our confidence in the American economy.
Eli valtavia satsauksia, mihin liittyy omalta osaltaan myös Nokian sopimus Microsoftin kanssa:
Nokia expands multi-year agreement to supply Microsoft Azure datacenter networks
- Nokia expands global footprint to over 30 countries and strengthens role as a strategic supplier for Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.
- SONiC-based Nokia data center switches will be deployed both in greenfield locations and used in support of Microsoft’s migration to 400GE connectivity within existing facilities.
- Nokia new five-year deal supports Microsoft’s ongoing footprint expansion to manage surging demand for general compute.