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The founder of Tech Buzz China, Rui Ma, posted on X after a recent trip to China about her observations on energy there. “Energy is considered a solved problem. The Chinese government’s investment in sustainable energy—from advanced hydropower to next-generation nuclear—means that, relative to many other markets, electricity supply is secure and inexpensive. Everywhere we went, people treated energy availability as a given. This is a stark contrast to the U.S., where AI growth is increasingly tied to debates over data center power consumption and grid limitations.” reads part of Ma’s tweet thread. In fact, in Texas, the anarchy of capitalism has let the state position itself as a haven for energy-sucking datacenters and cryptominers, but a new law in Texas gives utility company ERCOT the ability to cut power to datacenters in times of drastic shortages – which could impact other important or crucial services.
A recent Fortune article also quotes Chinese electricity expert David Fishman as saying, “They’re set up to hit grand slams… The U.S., at best, can get on base.” This disparity between the U.S. and China has AI and tech experts in the U.S. worried about the country falling behind in AI and other key areas, because they see China as a competitor and adversary that has to be beaten. Fishman goes on to explain that “Capital is really biased toward shorter-term returns,” while in China the state is able to set priorities for national investment.
Rachel was recently in China, and this is part 1 of our discussion about the differences between the Chinese planned system and the U.S. for-profit mess. For the second half of the show, we revisit an April 2022 interview with Tings Chak on how the Chinese government was actually handling and dealing with the COVID outbreak happening at the time.
We’re also joined by Walter Smolarek, Editor at LiberationNews.org, to discuss the upcoming Trump/Putin summit in Alaska.
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About the Author
Rachel Hu is a journalist with “BreakThrough News,” a new independent media project, where she hosts the podcast “It’s Not You, It’s Capitalism.”
She is also a host on WBAI 99.5FM in NYC and has been an anti-war and anti-racist activist with the ANSWER Coalition for the last decade.
Rachel can be reached at: rachel@wbai.org.
Chris Garaffa has been an anti-imperialist and social justice organizer since joining the movement against the Iraq war in 2003.
Chris is a weekly guest on Sputnik Radio’s “By Any Means Necessary,” and co-hosts the podcast “The Reboot,” focusing on the intersection between technology and human rights.
Chris can be reached at: chris.garaffa@gmail.com.
