AI, Supply Chains, and the Future of Economic Power

March 18, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, explains the geopolitical stakes of technology hardware and AI, drawing from his book The Wires of War. In a conversation at the A16Z American Dynamism Summit, he outlines U.S. strategies to maintain leadership in AI amid competition from state-influenced rivals like China, emphasizing hardware control's role in enabling software dominance and threats to sovereignty.

Hardware as the Decisive Battlefield

Helberg argues that hardware underpins the internet's infrastructure, allowing governments that control it—unlike independent U.S. firms—to compromise overlying software and access sensitive data on leaders and citizens. This challenges traditional sovereignty, as seen in campaigns against Huawei and ZTE, sustained across administrations. The AI boom has intensified risks by amplifying such capabilities, shifting focus from software threats like information operations.

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What you'll learn

1 `* (00:27) **Book Thesis: Wires of War & Hardware Dominance**`
2 `* (04:09) **AI Revolution Heightens Stakes**`
3 `* (05:37) **Three Pillars to Win AI Race**`
4 `* (07:09) **Pillar 1: Maintain Qualitative AI Lead**`
5 `* (08:54) **Pillar 2: Expand Global Market Share**`
6 `* (09:30) **Pillar 3: Secure Supply Chains**`
7 `* (11:30) **Tariffs as Reindustrialization Tool**`

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Erik Torenberg sits down with Jacob Helberg to discuss AI, manufacturing, supply chains, and the new geopolitics of technology. Drawing on themes from Helberg’s book The Wires of War, they explore why hardware, industrial capacity, and secure supply chains have become central to both economic strength and national security.

They also unpack what it means to “win the AI race” — from model leadership and global adoption to energy, compute, tariffs, and reindustrialization in the U.S.

Resources:

Find Jacob Helberg on X: https://x.com/jacobhelberg

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