Anthropic Says US Should Not Adopt China’s Approach to Build…

Anthropic, the AI startup backed by Amazon, released a report on July 22 outlining various strategies for the United States to build the infrastructure needed to maintain its lead in AI. 

The report focuses on overcoming regulatory, supply chain and other barriers without new congressional authorities. 

“To be clear, the United States should not adopt China’s approach to permitting and building large infrastructure,” Anthropic said in one of the sections.

Anthropic compared the two countries in terms of permits and regulations needed for infrastructure projects. “China’s domestic infrastructure projects require numerous permits, as in the United States, but regulators complete them far more quickly,” the company said.

In China, timelines for permitting construction projects range from 3 to 6 months, whereas in the United States, the process typically takes significantly longer. 

Anthropic explains that a significant reason is China’s political system, which motivates and enables regulators to prioritise projects that support political objectives. “Many officials therefore skirt environmental reviews, shirk enforcement, or lack enforcement capacity to begin with,” the company said.

For instance, in the US, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for completing environmental impact statements (EISs) for major projects has a median timeline of 2.2 years from notice of intent to final EIS, according to the Council on Environmental Quality’s January 2025 report. 

“The result is that China, recognising AI’s geopolitical and economic importance, is building its own AI infrastructure at a rapid clip,” Anthropic said, in addition to the 400GW of new generation capacity that China brought online. 

In comparison, the United States added roughly one-tenth as much generation capacity (excluding storage) in 2024. 

“It is worthwhile to contrast the two systems, however, to underscore the importance of building expeditiously in our country and consistent with democratic values,” the company added.

Anthropic says that if the United States were to adopt China’s actions, it would ‘transgress’ the core values in the country’s political and legal systems. 

The current US regulatory system, with laws such as the NEPA, the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Clean Water Act (CWA), enforces rigorous environmental and impact assessments that, although slower than some international counterparts, safeguard against long-term harms to ecosystems, public health, and communities. 

The report implies that weakening these protections would mean sacrificing sustainability and equity in favour of faster development timelines, which would contradict the United States’ longstanding commitments to responsible and ethical infrastructure development.

“US policymakers must stay clear-eyed about our adversaries’ capacity to cut corners and build quickly. They must ensure, moreover, that regulatory delays do not thwart us in building the infrastructure needed to sustain our geopolitical advantages in the coming years,” the report added.

The full report, in which Anthropic proposes numerous strategies to build AI training infrastructure, can be found here. 

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