Pax Silica: Inside the Trump Administration’s Tech Strategy with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg
Securing AI dominance requires more than just semiconductors; it demands a complete overhaul of how the West manages everything that goes into them, from rare earth minerals to actuators. Enter: Pax Silica. Sarah Guo and Elad Gil sit down with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg to discuss the launch and expansion of Pax Silica, a 14-country economic security coalition designed to secure the entire AI supply chain. Jacob talks about the creation of a forward-deployed industrial base in the Philippines, where 4,000 acres will be developed into an “economic security zone.” He also compares and contrasts Pax Silica with China’s Belt and Road initiative, explains how the US plans to reindustrialize through automation and robotics, and explores how the Trump administration envisions making these policies durable across future presidencies. Plus, we hear why Jacob believes America to be a “global underdog.”
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Chapters:
00:00 – Cold Open
00:41 – Jacob Helberg Introduction
01:02 – Pax Silica’s Mission
03:51 – Investing in AI Chip Supply Chains
05:43 – Comparing Pax Silica to China’s Belt and Road Initiative
12:38 – Pax Silica’s Value Proposition
14:38 – US vs. Partnered Manufacturing
19:10 – Rare Earth Mineral Pricing
22:16 – Role of Venture Capital in Pax Silica
24:50 – Near vs. Long-Term Priorities
27:09 – Making AI Policy Durable
28:09 – How Policies Impact Entrepreneurs
31:00 – Trump’s Entrepreneurial Administration
33:00 – Why America is a Global Underdog
38:00 – Conclusion
AI, Supply Chains, and the Future of Economic Power
Erik Torenberg sits down with Jacob Helberg to discuss AI, manufacturing, supply chains, and the new geopolitics of technology. Drawing on themes from Helberg’s book The Wires of War, they explore why hardware, industrial capacity, and secure supply chains have become central to both economic strength and national security.
They also unpack what it means to “win the AI race” — from model leadership and global adoption to energy, compute, tariffs, and reindustrialization in the U.S.
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Reshaping America’s Economy for the Superintelligence Century with Jacob Helberg
AI doomers say that the technology will be the ultimate job-killer. But Jacob Helberg wants people to see AI as a tech that will boost, not replace, human workers and give them superpowers. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg joins Sarah Guo and Elad Gil to talk about AI’s role in reshoring manufacturing in America, supply chain security, and transforming the US energy grid. He also discusses the CapEx revolution, why he sees opportunity for tech and energy partnerships in the Middle East, and the path to more nuclear energy for the US. Plus, the three explore what the “superintelligence century” could look like.
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Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @jacobhelberg
Chapters:
00:00 – Jacob Helberg Introduction
00:50 – Jacob’s Agenda for Capitol Hill
01:53 – Reshoring the American Supply Chain
04:38 – Areas of CapEx Growth
06:56 – Importance of Supply Chain Security
08:52 – Reshoring Rare Earth Minerals
11:12 – How AI Can Help America Reindustrialize
15:37 – AI and Productivity Gains
17:38 – The Superintelligence Century
22:56 – Creating an Open Source AI Ecosystem
24:41 – The Middle East and AI
26:24 – Growing Energy Resources in the US
28:28 – The Path to More Nuclear Energy in the US
35:50 – Essential Domains for Strategy and Security
38:20 – The Tech Industry and the Administration
40:29 – Conclusion
Winning the AI Race Part 1: Michael Kratsios, Kelly Loeffler, Chris Power, Shyam Sankar, Paul Buchheit, Jake Loosararian
(0:00) The besties introduce the day with Jacob Helberg
(9:08) Michael Kratsios, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
(18:24) Chris Power, Hadrian
(35:15) Jake Loosararian, Gecko Robotics
(44:37) Shyam Sankar, Palantir
(1:00:33) Paul Buchheit, Y Combinator
(1:13:35) Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the Small Business Administration
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US inherits China’s Bitcoin Mining Dynasty + Jacob Helberg on the “New Cold War” with China | E1303
Jason does a short news segment on China’s Bitcoin Mining hash rate falling to 0 and how the U.S. is now the largest mining hub (1:59). Then, Jacob Helberg author of "The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power," joins to discuss China's long-term goals (9:03), the United States' lack of preparedness, the struggle for control of front-end and backend technologies (32:22), plus much more.
E1105: Unpacking the US/China Relationship with Foreign Policy & Technology Expert Jacob Helberg
FOLLOW Jacob: https://twitter.com/jacobhelberg
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
