Financial Times
Before classPrepare, explore and arrive with a point of view
5.1 · SESSION FOCUS
AI, the Electric Tech Stack, and Global Competition
5.2
BEFORE CLASS
Read. Watch. Arrive curious.
Required reading
STUDENT’S CHOICE
Article or podcast—you decide.
Choose either format. Both cover the same core argument about the new industrial stack.
Steve Smith
Solar and wind power are reaching a tipping point ↗
World Economic ForumOptional deep dive
McKinsey Global Institute
The hard stuff: Taking stock of the energy transition ↗
McKinsey · 2025Understanding AI
Why humanoid robots won’t catch up to human workers any time soon ↗
Optional deep diveNot Boring · Packy McCormick and Sam D’Amico
Early Important Article on the Electrification of Everything ↗
The Electric Slide · 20255.3 PREWORK SUBMISSION
Prepare an example and consider the additional questions in Brightspace.
Submit your responses before class.
Find the Physical Stack
Trace a digital service backward: application → model → compute → chips → data center → grid → generation. Where is the tightest bottleneck?
SESSION 5 INTERACTIVE · TWO TECH STACKS
Software scale or industrial depth?
Make each prediction before revealing the benchmark or the class view. Each exercise is recorded separately.
Exercise 1
How different are the SaaS markets?
Estimate the domestic SaaS market in each economy.
Anonymous · submit once to see the class results.
Exercise 2
How different are the production bases?
Estimate manufacturing’s share of GDP in each economy.
Anonymous · submit once to see the class results.
Exercise 3
How much does industrial structure explain the U.S.–China SaaS gap?
Connect the first two comparisons. There is no single right answer.
Anonymous · submit once to see the class results.
Exercise 4
Where will manufacturing AI lead?
Make three predictions about robotics, the form of AI adoption and national advantage.
Anonymous · submit once to see the class results.
Exercise 5 · Optional wrap-up
What blocks a U.S. SaaS firm in China?
Connect the two technology stacks back to firm strategy and value capture.
Anonymous · submit once to see the class results.
During classSlides + Zoom
5.4
Class Session Links
Open the Session 5 slides Google Slides
↗SESSION 5 LIVE CLASSJoin the Session 5 Zoom NYU Zoom
↗Charts, cases and current examples · to be added
＋5.6 · FUTURE INTERACTIVE
Trace the physical stack
Interface reserved for a short in-class exploration. No data or conclusions have been pre-filled.
After class follow-upConsolidate, submit and reflect
5.5 · AFTER CLASS