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Zeitgeist — a spike by Chris Gathercole
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The AI Race: U.S. vs. China || Peter Zeihan

YouTube/Podcast · Listen · (gathered 2026-09-30)

  • Zeihan argues that the perceived ethical or data collection advantages of China in the AI race are largely irrelevant; the decisive factor is access to advanced hardware.
  • He dismisses the idea of US moral superiority, stating Silicon Valley already “pillages” user data as effectively as China, making data influx a non-issue for either side.
  • China’s AI development is severely hampered by export restrictions, particularly their inability to acquire ASML extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines, which are essential for manufacturing high-end semiconductors (under 7nm).
  • This forces China to rely on imported chips with a 4-5 nm ceiling, while cutting-edge AI (especially for large language models) requires 2-4 nm chips for superior computational power and efficiency.