Technological Supremacy

Topic

The idea, articulated by Chamath Palihapitiya, that a nation's economic and military power is fundamentally dependent on its leadership in technology.


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7/26/2025, 3:35:00 AM

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7/26/2025, 4:05:41 AM

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7/26/2025, 3:50:26 AM

Summary

Technological supremacy refers to dominance in technology, either regionally or globally, and has been a concept for centuries, with the term itself dating back to the 1950s. Superpowers like the United States have historically vied for this supremacy, initially against the Soviet Union and now against China. This competition spans fields such as artificial intelligence, wireless technology, and batteries, with China actively pursuing initiatives like its "Little Giants" program and "Made in China 2025" to rival Silicon Valley. The pursuit of technological supremacy is closely linked to fostering technology companies and, in the military sphere, integrating them into a nation's military-technological complex, as seen in China's "military-civil fusion." The concept is also a recurring theme in science fiction. Recent discussions, such as those on the "All-In Podcast," have explored different approaches to technological advancement, including techno-optimism, techno-pessimism, and techno-realism, emphasizing the need for the U.S. to lead in the AI race. Concerns have been raised about AI centralization and the importance of open-source AI, particularly in light of China's advancements in AI models. The quest for technological supremacy also involves economic and legal challenges, including strategic tariffs, AI copyright issues, and the technical nature of large language models.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Scope

    Regional or global international relations context, including military-technological supremacy and air supremacy

  • Definition

    Dominance in technology, either regionally or globally

  • Term Origin

    1950s

  • Contested Fields

    Artificial intelligence, wireless technology, batteries (especially lithium batteries)

  • Cultural Depiction

    Frequently depicted in science fiction, e.g., Ready Player One

  • Associated Concepts

    Promotion of technological companies, military-technological complex, military-civil fusion

  • Economic and Legal Challenges

    Strategic tariffs, AI copyright issues, technical nature of large language models

  • Approaches to Technological Advancement

    Techno-optimism, Techno-pessimism, Techno-realism

Timeline
  • The term 'technological supremacy' dates back to this decade. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1950s

Technological supremacy

Technological supremacy is the notion of supremacy in the field of technology in either a regional or global international relations context, as well as in subfields, such as military-technological supremacy, including air supremacy. The notion of one or more powers enjoying technological supremacy is ancient; the term 'technological supremacy' dates back to the 1950s. It is normally understood to be wielded by a superpower, such as the United States, originally in competition with the Soviet Union and now with China. Fields in which technological supremacy is being contested include artificial intelligence; wireless technology; and batteries, especially lithium batteries. Specifically, China is developing its Little Giants program to rival Silicon Valley, its Made in China 2025 program, a new infrastructure program, its Xinchuang Plan for alternative innovation, its digital currency plan, and its science parks plan. The development and maintenance of technological supremacy is associated with the promotion of technological companies and, in the military field, the relation between technological companies and the military in a country's military-technological complex, including Chinese-style 'military-civil fusion'. The quest for technological supremacy is frequently depicted in science fiction, such as in Ready Player One.

Web Search Results
  • Technological supremacy - Wikipedia

    Technological supremacy is the notion of supremacy in the field of technology in either a regional or global international relations context, as well as in subfields, such as military-technological supremacy, including air supremacy. The notion of one or more powers enjoying technological supremacy is ancient; the term 'technological supremacy' dates back to the 1950s. It is normally understood to be wielded by a superpower, such as the United States, originally in competition with the Soviet [...] Specifically, China is developing its Little Giants program to rival Silicon Valley, its Made in China 2025 program, a new infrastructure program, its Xinchuang Plan for alternative innovation, its digital currency plan, and its science parks plan. The development and maintenance of technological supremacy is associated with the promotion of technological companies and, in the military field, the relation between technological companies and the military in a country's military-technological [...] Union and now with China. Fields in which technological supremacy is being contested include artificial intelligence; wireless technology; and batteries, especially lithium batteries.

  • AI Rivalries: Redefining Global Power Dynamics

    But beyond traditional alliances lies an even more profound dimension of this rivalry, which is the global race for technological supremacy. AI is not only a two-way race between the U.S. and China, but in fact, various countries have recognized the potential AI holds and as a result are now positioning themselves as key players in the pursuit of AI supremacy to further assert their sovereignty.(#_ftn28) Countries like the UK, Canada, France, Singapore, India, South Korea, and Israel have all [...] At the heart of this transformation lies the rivalry between the United States (U.S.) and China. As the world’s two leading superpowers, both countries have been caught up in a strategic contest vying for technological supremacy, heralding a new chapter in global power dynamics. As both countries push forward to lead the field of AI, they are turning it into a critical battleground with far-reaching implications that extend beyond technology, influencing security, governance, and the very [...] The growing competition between the U.S. and China in AI is not just reshaping bilateral relations but also redefining the global balance of power. The pursuit of AI supremacy is accelerating geopolitical rivalries, shifting alliances, and setting new standards for technological dominance. As AI development becomes increasingly linked to national security and economic strategy, its influence extends far beyond these two superpowers, compelling nations worldwide to adapt to a rapidly evolving

  • Global Trends 2040, Structural Forces: Technology - DNI.gov

    Technology as Geopolitical Power.Technology is a tool of national power that the United States has long led through investments in research, innovation, and development. The next decades will see increasing global competition for the core elements of technology supremacy, such as talent, knowledge, and markets, potentially resulting in new technological leaders or hegemonies in the 2030s. Complex international supply chains, the global diffusion of innovation, and investments by geopolitical [...] Growing Competition for Dominance. The race for technological dominance is inextricably intertwined with evolving geopolitics and is increasingly shaped by broader political, economic, and societal rivalries, particularly those associated with China’s rise. Amassing the resources to sustain broad technology leadership, including the concentration of human talent, foundational knowledge, and supply chains, requires decades of long-term investment and visionary leadership. Those focusing their [...] Multiple trends are shaping the technology landscape of the next two decades, and while new technologies will not emerge uniformly or predictably, they are likely to share some common drivers and dynamics. The increasing convergence of seemingly unrelated fields and the rise of global competition to generate and lock-in advantage are accelerating the emergence of cutting-edge technologies. The diffusion of technological knowledge, the aggressive setting of standards to favor one technology

  • China and the race for technological supremacy

    West­ern gov­ern­ments are still imbued with the idea that not all infor­ma­tion needs to be pro­tect­ed. We are only begin­ning to realise that, aggre­gat­ed togeth­er with oth­er datasets and analysed through­out the fil­ter of arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence, data which in and of them­selves would appear innocu­ous can be very reveal­ing – in ways that we might not want them to be. What kind of suprema­cy is Chi­na work­ing to achieve? [...] 3_chineSuprematieTechno # China and the race for technological supremacy Nigel Inkster China’s rise to the top over the last ten years has been spec­tac­u­lar, espe­cial­ly with regards to tech­nol­o­gy. In many indus­tries, it would appear they are aim­ing for tech­no­log­i­cal suprema­cy. Is this part of a grand strat­e­gy? Was it predictable? [...] As Chi­na became a more con­fi­dent tech­no­log­i­cal pow­er, it began to realise that it could use its grow­ing capa­bil­i­ties to shape the inter­na­tion­al are­na. In areas of cyber-gov­er­nance and cyber­se­cu­ri­ty, Chi­na has realised that if they can estab­lish their tech­nol­o­gy stan­dards as the glob­al ones, they can then use their over­whelm­ing man­u­fac­tur­ing pow­er and eco­nom­ic reach to become glob­al­ly dom­i­nant in key areas. This is what the USA did dur­ing 20th Cen­tu­ry

  • Big Tech's Overpowering Influence: Risks To Markets And Your Money

    Smaller tech companies and startups have great difficulties navigating their road to success under the towering shadow of Big Tech's supremacy. The great resources at hand of giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple, as well as their strategic policies, help to create severe obstacles to entrance in areas under their control. [...] ## The Landscape Of Tech Dominance A small number of businesses in the digital era have not only altered the technology scene but also taken the stage. The term ‘Big Tech’ appeared around 2113. The companies, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple, have grown to be major players in international business, society, and media. Their explosive rise over the past ten years has radically changed consumer behavior and sectors of industry all around. [...] Apart from its e-commerce platform, Amazon has transformed retail by means of its supremacy in cloud computing via Amazon Web Services (AWS), which commands a sizable portion of the industry. Along with making Amazon vital to both customers and companies, this double dominance has given it unheard-of insight into consumer behavior and market trends.