Anthropic Warns US Falling Behind China In AI Arms Race As Energy Crisis Threatens 2028 Infrastructure Goals

The United States is trailing behind China in the global artificial intelligence race due to energy constraints, according to a report by Anthropic.

What Happened: On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based AI company Anthropic raised concerns over the U.S. lagging energy generation, which is impeding the country’s AI development.

In 2024, China added a staggering 400 gigawatts of power capacity, while the U.S. only managed to add “several dozen,” a mere one-tenth of China’s total, the report said.

“The U.S. AI sector needs at least 50GW of electric capacity by 2028 to maintain global AI leadership,” the report said.

The AI company emphasized that the critical role of energy in the escalating U.S.-China AI race, where both nations are fiercely competing in various AI fields, including advanced semiconductor technology and AI algorithms.

While the U.S. has been heavily investing in AI hardware, particularly semiconductors, China has been directing a significant portion of its AI investment towards constructing data centers and the necessary energy infrastructure.

This imbalance in power capacity is a cause for concern, according to Anthropic.

Why It Matters: The U.S.’s struggle to keep up with China in the AI race due to energy constraints is a significant development in the ongoing global tech competition.

This report aligns with previous warnings from industry leaders about the potential consequences of falling behind in the AI race, such as Palantir Technologies PLTR CEO Alex Karp’s statement that the U.S.-China AI race will have only one winner.

This report also adds a new dimension to the economic rivalry between the U.S. and China, which has seen China outperforming the S&P 500 despite Donald Trump’s efforts to curb Beijing’s global economic influence.

In June, a report said that the Trump administration is planning executive actions to boost the U.S. AI sector by addressing power grid constraints and accelerating data center construction.

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