Wow... this is a huge topic you're interested in ;)

Thanks for commenting, Galen.

There are quite a few YouTubers covering this area, though most of the focus tends to be on semiconductors.

I can understand why. After all, building an LLM isn’t exactly a secret anymore—you'll find many small and mid-sized models in labs outside the US. However, certain steps in semiconductor manufacturing remain irreplaceable, such as those involving ASML or TSMC.

That said, the US does have some clear advantages:

1. Language

2. Population

3. Human resources

Unfortunately, the US also faces significant disadvantages in these same areas:

1. Literacy: A staggering 21% of adults in the US are illiterate, compared to just 2.7% in China.

2. Population: The US population is smaller than India’s and China’s, which impacts human resources and reduces the demographic dividend.

3. Immigration and Racism: Related to point two, Trump’s strict immigration policies, combined with racism from some of his hardline supporters, have discouraged top talent from wanting to move to or stay in the US.

I hope this scratches your itch a bit.

I tend to break down my thoughts and research into multiple articles; if you're interested in reading more, the best you can do is to subscribe! :)

Chat soon.