Michelle Giuda: The U.S. needs allied support to outpace China in the AI race

The US will not be able to get ahead of China in the AI race through domestic development alone. Michelle Jooda, who heads the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, believes that allies willing to support the American technological stack globally will play a key role.

Betting on Allies

Jooda's main point is that the competition for AI leadership is not just between laboratories that release new models. Equally important is which ecosystem becomes the baseline for other countries: whose clouds companies choose, which chips data centers are built on, which platforms end up in government and corporate procurement. If US partners bet on American technologies, this strengthens Washington's position far beyond the domestic market and turns AI into a question of coalitions, not just computing power.

In this logic, allies are needed not as formal observers, but as active participants in infrastructure decisions. These are countries that can support American suppliers, create compatible rules, and solidify trust in their solutions at home. For the US, this is especially important in competition with China, because technological influence is measured not by one blockbuster model, but by the depth of presence in foreign markets. Whoever becomes the standard for partners gets a more sustainable advantage in the long run.

American Technological Stack

In this context, the American technological stack typically refers not to a single product or company, but to an entire set of layers on which AI services are built. This is a foundation that allows not just running models, but scaling them, embedding them into business processes, and making them part of national digital infrastructure.

Therefore, the discussion of US leadership goes beyond the debate about who has a stronger laboratory or a louder release.

• computing power and chips
• cloud infrastructure and data centers
• models, APIs, and developer tools
• standards for security, compliance, and procurement

If allies support such a stack, American companies gain not only new customers, but also a broader operational base: more compatible platforms, predictable requirements, and less friction in implementation. This matters not only for sales, but also for the speed of launching new services, because the ecosystem is already familiar to the market and regulators.

At the same time, it reduces the chance that alternative technological contours incompatible with American platforms or US political interests will take hold in certain regions.

Business and Government

Jooda's statement shows how closely business and government interests are intertwined in the AI space. Companies create models, services, and tools, but without political support it is difficult for them to establish themselves in foreign markets, where regulatory frameworks, supplier trust, and strategic partnerships matter.

Therefore, the AI race increasingly resembles not only a market for products, but a competition of systems: who will better build connections between the private sector, diplomacy, universities, and allied states.

To get ahead of

China in the AI race, the US must rely on allies that support the American technological stack globally.

This is a signal to technology companies that international expansion now depends not only on product quality. What matters are local partners, compatibility with different jurisdictions' requirements, participation in standard-setting, and the ability to look like a reliable foundation for critical infrastructure.

For allied governments, in turn, this means that the choice of AI platforms becomes part of a broader strategy — economic, industrial, and foreign policy. This is why the conversation about AI is increasingly moving from laboratories to ministerial offices and international negotiation platforms.

What It Means

The AI race is increasingly going beyond models, chips, and investments. If the proponents of the approach that Michelle Jooda is talking about are right, winners will be determined not only by engineers, but by networks of alliances: whoever can make their technological stack an international norm will get the most lasting advantage.