보안 전문가들은 AI 데이터센터에 중국 기원의 숨겨진 위험이 내재되어 있다고 경고합니다.

The Trump administration is intensifying scrutiny of Chinese-made equipment powering U.S. data centers, citing national security concerns amid surging electricity demand for artificial intelligence systems.

According to CNBC, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week declaring a national emergency regarding foreign-made equipment in the bulk-power system, labeling it an “extraordinary foreign threat.” The directive empowers the U.S. Department of Energy to block or impose conditions on specific transactions involving equipment used in the power grid and data centers.

In a statement accompanying the order, Trump wrote, “Since my first term, the threat to the United States regarding foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment has become even more acute.” He added, “The rapid growth of advanced manufacturing, data centers, artificial intelligence, and defense production has increased the Nation’s dependence on abundant, reliable electricity and magnified the consequences of a successful attack or supply disruption on the bulk-power system.”

The executive order follows an April presidential determination in which Trump designated transformers, transmission lines and conductors, substations, high-voltage circuit breakers, and power control electronics as “essential to the national defense.”

Chinese firms supply substantial portions of key equipment categories vital to data center power infrastructure, including transformers, switchgear, batteries, and optical transceivers critical for AI operations. Yury Dvorkin, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, noted that “the mid-term exposure is concentrated in grid connectors: transformers, switchgear, and batteries.” He added, “China’s share of certain transformer and switchgear categories runs near 30%, and it accounts for over 40% of U.S. battery imports.” Dvorkin further highlighted upstream vulnerabilities, stating, “Our analysis shows that there is also a deeper exposure upstream: copper, electrical steel, and battery cathode materials.”

Ben Boucher, senior supply chain analyst at Wood Mackenzie, emphasized that reliance on Chinese imports spans multiple segments of AI infrastructure. “There are a few key areas that the AI infrastructure buildout is increasingly dependent on Chinese imports,” he said, highlighting one critical component: “The most notable ones include substation transformers, which hyperscalers typically have on site to step transmission voltage down.”

Laveena Iyer, senior analyst at The Economist Group, told CNBC that scrutiny of Chinese involvement in U.S. data center power infrastructure has intensified significantly in recent months. “Scrutiny over China’s presence in the U.S. data centre power stack has only risen over the past eight months or so, this is a shift from the previous focus that centred solely on the compute stack,” she said.

Several manufacturers are already accelerating domestic production. In September 2025, Hitachi Energy announced a $1 billion investment to expand critical grid infrastructure manufacturing in the United States, allocating $457 million toward a new large power transformer facility. Similarly, Siemens Energy stated in February that it would invest $1 billion in U.S.-based production of grid and gas turbine equipment tailored for AI infrastructure and data centers.

The optical transceiver market reflects a comparable dynamic. According to an August report by Counterpoint analyst Neil Shah, Zhongji Innolight and Eoptolink lead globally in data center optical transceiver revenue, with Chinese manufacturers collectively supplying approximately two-thirds of worldwide units.

U.S. optical technology firms Lumentum and Coherent are positioned to gain from potential restrictions on Chinese rivals. In March, Nvidia invested $2 billion in each company.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.