US risks falling behind China in tech race, report finds

The annual report analyzes the performance of the federal government
The report found the U.S. needs to invest more in technology to compete
China has been increasingly seen as a major national security threat

Updated: Jul 18, 2023 / 08:22 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — The U.S. could be falling behind China in the race for technological superiority, according to a new report.

Data analytics firm Govini produced the report which warned America is risking weakness if it fails to keep up with China in developing cutting-edge software and hardware. The firm’s annual report on national security analyzes the performance of the federal government.

Govini said the U.S. is not investing enough in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as facing shortfalls when it comes to munitions and modernization efforts.

China is ahead of the U.S. when it comes to patents, an indicator that they may be gaining an advantage when it comes to new technologies.

The report also noted that the U.S. is still heavily dependent on China when it comes to supply chains for technologies. China recently restricted exports of metals essential to tech production, something that could potentially hurt the U.S.

As tensions between America and China have grown, lawmakers have increasingly viewed China as one of the main national security threats the country faces. Lawmakers have been especially concerned about China’s use of technology to gather data and the country’s efforts to obtain intellectual property from U.S. companies.