Pod Save the World Trump Forfeits AI Race to China
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Dec 10, 2025 Annika Wells, Australia's Minister for Communications, leads a bold initiative to restrict social media for kids under 16, citing developmental research. She shares insights on enforcement and platform compliance, emphasizing the significance of safeguarding youth online. The conversation also navigates the broader implications of Australia’s approach, aiming to inspire global standards on digital safety. Additionally, Tommy and Ben dissect Trump’s AI policies and their impact on international relations, revealing the complexities of current geopolitical tensions.
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Forfeiting Compute Gives China A Fast Track
- Allowing NVIDIA to export H200 chips to China could shrink the U.S. compute advantage dramatically and accelerate Chinese AI progress.
- Ben Rhodes warns this forfeits the U.S. edge in compute, letting China catch up and leverage talent and data to surpass the U.S.
Quantity Can Substitute For Quality In AI Compute
- Lower-performance H200 chips can be aggregated to match top-tier chips, so access to many H200s gives near-parity at higher cost.
- Tommy Vietor emphasizes China can build comparable supercomputers by stringing more H200s together and subsidizing the cost.
Export Controls Were The U.S. Linchpin
- Ben Rhodes argues export control rollbacks undermine U.S. strategy to win the AI race and risk strengthening China’s military and cyber capabilities.
- He notes China already has talent, data, and energy, and chips were the last major bottleneck.
