The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is creating a national security council to counter cyber threats from China and ensure American dominance in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 6G and autonomy, as the frontline between the two superpowers is increasingly hinged on a technological race that is narrowing.
The launch of DeepSeek’s AI model and the focus on technology at the recent “Two Sessions’ event in Beijing underscored the pace of change and urgency with which the U.S. is acting to secure its lead with the new council. At the same time, it’s going to be a shield against Chinese attempts to undermine the U.S. through cyberattacks.
FCC Works to Secure Tech Lead
New FCC Chair Brendan Carr told the Financial Times that the council is being created because of “persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the Chinese Communist party.” The National Council, which is to be led by Adam Chan, a lawyer who previously worked on the House of Representatives’ China committee, reflects growing hostility between China and the U.S. over technology.
Carr added that the council will work to ensure the U.S. “wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies” including for the likes 6G, AI, satellites, quantum computing and autonomous systems.
While the council will take a holistic approach to the U.S. and Chinese tech race, it has a specific role in mitigating U.S. vulnerability to cyberattacks, espionage, and surveillance by hostile states, while also reducing supply chain dependence on adversaries. In particular, an early focal point is the Salt Typhoon cyberattack on U.S. telecoms networks.
China Goes Big on Tech
The move comes as China wrapped up its annual “Two Sessions” political conferences in Beijing with a clear emphasis on building the country’s capabilities on key tech spheres. DeepSeek, which rattled U.S. AI stocks in January, was talk of the town as it seems to embody Beijing’s desire to become self-sufficient in areas such as AI.
DeepSeek’s large language model also rattled officials in Washington as it appeared to match the capabilities of its American rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, despite U.S. restrictions on China’s access to the most advanced AI chips from the likes of Nvidia (NVDA). It’s no coincidence that both the outgoing Biden administration and now the Trump White House are seeking to further tighten restrictions on Chinese companies’ access to semiconductors vital for AI applications.
China Invests in AI
China’s economic top economic officials last week announced a state-backed fund to support AI and other tech, which they estimated would attract about a 1 trillion yuan, or around $138 billion, in capital over 20 years.
Meanwhile Beijing’s plans for the year ahead set out plans to “foster emerging industries and industries of the future” like quantum technology, embodied AI and 6G technology, stressing the importance of domestic reliance.
U.S. Leads Narrows
Recent advances like DeepSeek have considerably narrowed the U.S. lead over China in AI, according to a research paper from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C.-based think-tank, which calls for urgent steps to be taken by the U.S. if it is to retain its dominance.
While the U.S. retains a lead, “the gap has narrowed significantly, and it is unrealistic to expect a lead of more than a year or two, even with extremely aggressive export controls,” said Gregory Allen, director of CSIS’s Wadhwani AI Center and author of the report.
Highlighting how the FCC is just one element in the U.S. toolkit, the paper says success for Washington will hang on preventing large-scale AI chip smuggling and preventing the team of Huawei and SMIC from providing a viable Chinese AI chip alternative to the leading incumbent international team of Nvidia and TSMC.
“There is no more time to waste,” said Allen. It seems the FCC’s new chair agrees.
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