America and China are fighting for the future of AI — chips are the battlefield

When President Donald Trump sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week, the agenda will be crowded.

Trade.

Tariffs.

Rare earth minerals.

National security.

Supply chains.

But looming over all of it is a technological competition that could shape the balance of economic and military power for decades: artificial intelligence .

And increasingly, the battle isn't simply about who builds the best AI model.

TRUMP-XI’S CHINA SUMMIT IS A DEFINING TEST FOR AMERICA IN THE NEW COLD WAR It is about who controls the chips, computing infrastructure and technology ecosystem underneath it.

America remains the global leader in advanced AI technology and semiconductor design.

But China is pushing aggressively to reduce its dependence on American technology, and Huawei has emerged as one of the most important companies in that effort.

That should have Washington's full attention.

For years, the United States has used export controls to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductors and semiconductor-manufacturing technology, particularly technologies with potential military applications.

Those restrictions had a clear national-security objective: prevent America's most sophisticated technology from strengthening a strategic competitor's military capabilities.