Chinese Manufacturers Target $765 Billion U.S. AI Buildout as Component Shortages Offset Security Fears
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 26
Chinese Manufacturers Target $765 Billion U.S. AI Buildout as Component Shortages Offset Security Fears
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 26
Summary
Chinese manufacturers are pursuing the U.S. AI data-center boom, arguing stronger American demand and equipment bottlenecks create an opening despite worsening political scrutiny.
The U.S. had 5,427 data centers in 2025 versus China’s 449, and Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon are expected to spend about $765 billion on AI infrastructure this year.
Supply-chain gaps are central to the pitch: analysts say the U.S. lacks enough electrical equipment and faces long lead times, while Chinese suppliers already provide transformers, batteries and fiber-optic cables.
Brightray and Chinese manufacturer PrefabDC say their prefabricated model can cut typical U.S. construction times of two to three years by at least half.
That opportunity is constrained by geopolitics, with the Trump administration weighing bans on Chinese open-weight AI models and some data-center components over security and dependency concerns.