In a new Washington AI Network podcast interview with Tammy Haddad, Silverado Policy Accelerator Co-Founder and Chair Maureen Hinman warns that America’s AI ambitions could be constrained not by technology but by energy shortages, critical-mineral dependencies, and a permitting process that struggles to keep pace with innovation.

“The real AI race isn’t about algorithms,” says Hinman. Hinman says America must accelerate investment in energy infrastructure and critical minerals supply chains or risk ceding strategic ground to its competitors.

In an interview recorded live at the Special Competitive Studies Project’s 2026 AI+ Expo, Hinman assessed where America stands relative to China and what it will take to stay ahead as Congress weighs the Great American Artificial Intelligence Act. Hinman is a veteran of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Hinman’s central warning centers on energy. AI data centers and hyperscalers, she said, are driving demand that the current grid cannot meet. “By 2030, we’re going to easily need 800 to 1,000 more power plants in America alone,” she said, adding that these are not small facilities but “100 megawatt power plants.”

The United States’ edge in artificial intelligence will be decided less in research labs than in power plants, mineral processing facilities, and permitting offices, according to Maureen Hinman, executive chair and co-founder of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, and her prescription is what she calls “clean baseload” – round-the-clock power from nuclear, hydro, geothermal, and gas paired with carbon capture. She also pointed to fusion as a near-term breakthrough rather than a distant one. “Fusion is game-changing because you have the ability to decouple energy from geography – that’s never been done in history,” she said, predicting commercial viability within five years.

Read the full article on Washington AI Network’s website.