What Will Decide the Next World Order After Oil?

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The Next World Order Will Be Decided by Energy, Not Ideology

We are past the era when AI leadership was decided by clever code or clever ideas alone.

Today, compute infrastructure is the strategic resource of the 21st century, and whoever controls it shapes power, wealth, and technological sovereignty.

I’ve always insisted that compute, from chips to data centres to energy, is the new oil. But unlike oil in the 20th century, the AI era concentrates this resource in far fewer hands: a handful of companies and countries. Access to high-end compute now determines who can innovate, who can defend themselves, who can influence markets, and who sets global standards.

What most people overlook is that compute isn’t just hardware. It’s power. China’s advantage in compute is rooted not just in chips, but in electricity and infrastructure. Elon Musk recently noted that China could soon far exceed the rest of the world in AI compute because of its massive energy generation capacity, perhaps three times that of the U.S. by 2026, enabling data centre expansion at scale.

This isn’t hypothetical. China has been building out grid capacity and data centre infrastructure rapidly, embedding AI compute into national industrial strategy. Their ability to power energy-hungry AI ecosystems is now a strategic edge, one that can outweigh even advanced chip design in the calculus of global influence.

That’s why energy policy, not just chip policy, is now geopolitical strategy.

And it’s related to another major shift we often overlook: raw materials and supply chains.

The renewed U.S. interest in Greenland isn’t nostalgic or rhetorical; it’s grounded in strategic economics and power. Greenland holds high potential for rare earths elements (although it might become very expensive to get them) that are essential for high-tech manufacturing, semiconductors, batteries, and future compute infrastructure.

These are the same materials that underpin the AI stack, from chips to cooling systems to energy storage. Controlling supply chains for critical minerals reduces dependency on any single power and strengthens sovereign technological capability.

The new approach is clear: nations now jockey for energy and mineral access the same way they once fought over oil fields. AI compute isn’t merely technology, it is infrastructure, supply, and power in one package.

Here’s the bottom line:

AI dominance will be decided by who controls compute and the energy that power it.
Energy capacity, data centre scale, and access to rare earths matter more than ever.
Tech leadership now intertwines with industrial policy, national strategy, and global security.

We are not spectators. We are architects of this new order.

If you want influence in the AI era, you must think beyond algorithms to the infrastructure and materials that make intelligence possible.

'Synthetic Minds' continues to reflect the synthetic forces reshaping our world. Quick, curated insights to feed your quest for a better understanding of our evolving synthetic future, powered by Futurwise:

1. In a move that's set to revolutionize the AI industry, Apple has partnered with Google to upgrade its Siri assistant using Google's Gemini AI. (The Verge)

2. AI is changing human identity. The future of work is undergoing a significant transformation with the rise of AI, automation, and the creator economy. This shift is expected to impact nearly 90% of jobs. Are you ready for the shift? (Spotify)

3. China has developed a lunar timekeeping software that synchronizes clocks with the Moon's weaker gravity, opening up new possibilities for space exploration. The open-source software e is a game-changer for future space missions. (Gizmodo)

4. AI expert Geoffrey Hinton warns of massive unemployment and soaring profits due to AI adoption. He attributes this outcome to the capitalist system, where rich people will use AI to replace workers. (Fortune)

5. As the world grapples with the challenges of building data centers on Earth, some are turning to space as a solution. Is it a game-changer or a costly mistake? (The Intercept_)

If you are interested in more insights, grab my latest, award-winning, book Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change and learn how to embrace a mindset that can deal with exponential change, or download my news 2026 tech trends report: