Tech leaders and government officials are gathering in Washington on Wednesday to develop plans to reindustrialize America for an increasingly tense competition with China.
Trump administration officials and a bipartisan cadre of lawmakers will meet at the Hill & Valley Forum with executives from companies such as Nvidia, Oracle, Google, Anduril, Palantir and OpenAI, among others, to discuss major issues in tech and jumpstarting American manufacturing.
Jacob Helberg, a top Palantir adviser and organizer of the gathering, told reporters that the technologists, manufacturers and policymakers are assembling to develop plans for top tech to be made in America again. Mr. Helberg is also a pending nominee for a position in the State Department.
“We live today in a mostly deindustrialized world — China and Chinese-controlled companies dominate the lion’s share of the world’s production capacity. That cannot continue,” Mr. Helberg said on Tuesday. “When the history of this decade is written, I believe the organizing principle of the 2020s will shift from globalization to reindustrialization.”
The annual gathering at the U.S. Capitol has swelled in size with hundreds of attendees expected to attend the forum’s speeches and panels featuring remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat; Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat; Mike Lee, Utah Republican; and Jim Banks, Indiana Republican; among several others.
Nvidia founder Jensen Huang is trekking to Capitol Hill for a conversation at the forum about his vision for rebuilding industrial power. Mr. Huang’s Nvidia announced plans earlier this month to begin producing artificial intelligence supercomputers entirely in the U.S., via manufacturing sites in Arizona and Texas.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp will also be on hand to detail his approach for forging a new American century with cutting-edge technology. Palantir’s audacious recruitment plans for the software giant’s workforce include a new campaign to persuade high school students to ditch college and join them instead.
AI and America’s rivalry with China are expected to be major topics of concern for many of the attendees.
Delian Asparouhov, co-founder of Varda Space Industries and forum organizer, told reporters on Tuesday that China is nipping at the heels of America’s advantage in various tech sectors including aerospace.
While Western tech companies and the U.S. government have grown much closer in recent years, some in Silicon Valley remain comfortable doing business with America’s counterparts in China.
For example, U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark reportedly led a new investment totaling $75 million with other financiers last week backing the Chinese startup behind Manus AI, which made waves last month with its new AI agent services.
Mr. Asparouhov, also a Founders Fund partner, criticized Benchmark’s decision and took aim at Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley, a renowned tech investor. Mr. Gurley is well-known for investing early in several tech startups, and his role in developing Uber was dramatized in the Showtime television series “Super Pumped.”
Mr. Asparouhov told reporters the investment in China from Mr. Gurley’s firm made Benchmark appear more comparable to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Hats off to Bill Gurley, he won’t be attending this year’s forum, but if he chooses to reverse his stance and focus on the West rather than our adversaries, we’re happy to have him,” Mr. Asparouhov said.
Mr. Gurley did not respond to a request for comment.
Christian Garrett, partner at 137 Ventures, is also a co-founder and organizer of the forum.
