China Expands AI Infrastructure Amid Concerns Over U.S. Lead

<p>China is increasing its efforts to build data centers and energy infrastructure to support artificial intelligence (AI), raising concerns about its potential to close the gap with the United States in AI-related infrastructure. According to the <a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/assets/files/ai_index_report_2026.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence’s 2026 AI Index</a>, there were 5,427 data centers in the U.S. in 2025, compared to 449 in China, although the report noted that this count does not consider differences in facility size, computing capacity, or utilization.</p><p>China is reportedly moving quickly to enhance its infrastructure. Gordon Chang, a China expert, stated that while China is behind, it is progressing rapidly. He emphasized that if the U.S. maintains its current pace of development, it may be challenging to eliminate the existing advantage.</p><p>Former President Donald Trump recently warned that communities opposing new data center projects could inadvertently benefit China. He stated on Truth Social that China would be pleased with the anti-data center movement and argued that communities supporting data centers could gain jobs and tax revenue.</p><p>Vice President JD Vance echoed these concerns, suggesting that the U.S. risks losing the AI race to China if the Democratic Party regains control of Congress. He highlighted the need for the U.S. to increase its power generation capacity to support data centers and major infrastructure projects.</p><p>The Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to concerns about its infrastructure expansion, stating that AI should not be viewed primarily as a geopolitical contest. Embassy spokesperson Liu Chang mentioned China’s 2025 Global AI Governance Action Plan, which aims to accelerate the construction of clean power, next-generation networks, computing capacity, and data centers, advocating for cooperation with the U.S.</p><p>China's