TechTHE PILE-ON
The U.S. AI race leans on China for gear and models
American data centers rely on Chinese-made equipment and many U.S. companies run on Chinese AI models, complicating Washington's AI dominance strategy.
On air: Hank Ledger, Dale Bearman and Chip Darnell on The Pile-OnPublished
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsWatch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Dale Bearman and Chip Darnell on this story, from The Pile-On at 7:54 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Washington Post's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Washington Post: “In the race for AI dominance, the U.S. relies on a surprising ally: China”.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 7:54 AM ET on The Pile-On, by Hank Ledger, Dale Bearman and Chip Darnell.
- Topics: China, AI, US.
- BBN covered this story before: Maher: AI fears, but China keeps building data centers (October 10).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The Washington PostIn the race for AI dominance, the U.S. relies on a surprising ally: China
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Trump administration calls AI a winner-take-all race.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorMeanwhile, American data centers are full of equipment made in China, and many U.S. companies run on Chinese AI.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorTeam effort! Love to see it. Two countries, one big happy racetrack, and everybody brought snacks!
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorIt's not a racetrack, Chip. It's a dependency where both sides need each other more than they'd like to admit.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRent.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorCan I just say, if my rival builds my engine, I'm still the one driving. That's leadership.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorDriving what? You're in the passenger seat holding the map, and the map is in Mandarin, and and...
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorLet me finish. The map is a great map!
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo who's winning?
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorWhoever sells the other one the shovels. Which is, apparently, everybody.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorWinner takes all, and the loser keeps the receipt. That's just good customer service.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOrder. Please. Dale, check the label on that desk lamp.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorMade in China.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWe're all in the race.
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Photo: US gov · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: KneeHallHawk · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The story so far
- China Eyes Yuan Boost as US-China Yield Gap Widens · SCMP
- China AI Developers Publish Safety Tests for 3.6% of Releases · Investing.com
- UK, Allies Push Back on ICC Sanctions; China Eyes Batanes · BBC
- Moscow Flights Still Disrupted; Fresh Look at China's Island Play · WSJ
- AI agent makers are promising privacy — will they deliver? · The Verge
- Maher: AI fears, but China keeps building data centers · Breitbart
- The U.S. AI race leans on China for gear and models (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, October 11, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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