- The report argues that technology leadership shapes economic power, military capability, statecraft, and the ability to influence global rules, norms, and values.
- SCSP assesses that the United States leads in internet platforms, synthetic biology, biopharmaceuticals, quantum computing, and fusion energy, while China leads in 5G network components, advanced batteries, and commercial drones.
- The report identifies AI, next generation networks, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing as contested technology areas in which neither the United States nor China holds a clear advantage under the selected metrics.
- China is described as pursuing seven technology spheres of influence, spanning critical minerals, communications systems, emerging sectors, standards, surveillance, arms exports, and advanced strategic infrastructure.
- The report argues that the U.S. innovation ecosystem’s Cold War-era triangle has evolved to include venture capital, startups, the private sector, and the web-enabled crowd, requiring a new model for national technology strategy.
The Platforms Panel Interim Panel Report examines how the United States can harness its innovation ecosystem for long-term technological competition with China. It frames emerging technologies as sources of economic power, military capability, democratic influence, and geopolitical leverage, and describes China’s pursuit of technology spheres of influence across critical minerals, communications systems, emerging sectors, standards, surveillance, arms exports, and strategic infrastructure. The report assesses U.S.-China competition across selected technology areas in software, biotechnology, networks, energy, computing, and convergence, using sector-specific metrics and staff judgments described in an appendix. It finds U.S. leads in areas including internet platforms, synthetic biology, biopharmaceuticals, quantum computing, and fusion energy; PRC leads in 5G network components, advanced batteries, and commercial drones; and contested positions in AI, next generation networks, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. The report argues that the U.S. innovation system has changed since the Cold War and now requires a new public-private model that connects government, industry, academia, investors, and other innovation actors. It proposes a national technology strategy process, an institutional home built around a Technology Competitiveness Council, Office of Global Competition Analysis, and U.S. Advanced Technology Forum, and Technology Action Plans that combine technical goals with policy, market, infrastructure, supply chain, and talent levers.
Resolving the paradox of a nation with overwhelming technology advantages suffering from relative technological vulnerabilities is one of the fundamental tasks before the United States today.
SCSP
- Get Fusion On the Grid by 2030. The Biden Administration should announce a Fusion Energy Earthshot of having at least three fusion pilot plants on U.S. soil.
- Empower DOE with a Commercial Fusion Mission. Congress should create an Office of Fusion Energy at the Department of Energy to implement the Bold Decadal Vision.
- Leverage Actors' Core Strengths. Fusion companies should focus on achieving a fusion breakthrough and competing against one another to build the best fusion pilot plants.
- Add Government Fuel Where It Will Accelerate Commercialization. Congress should make fusion activities eligible for other climate and national security-related funding vehicles today.
Published by the Special Competitive Studies Project. Co-publishers and external authors, where they exist, are credited in the byline above.