Command of the Interconnect: The Hidden Infrastructure War Beneath Artificial Intelligence

Macdonald Amoah, Payne Institute Senior Research Fellow Jahara Matisek, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how AI’s future may hinge on an obscure material few policymakers recognize: indium phosphide, which powers the optical interconnects linking massive AI chip clusters. As China tightens export controls, the U.S. faces a strategic chokepoint in the physical infrastructure underlying AI dominance.  May 10, 2026.