All terms
Foundations
Techno-nationalism
Treating leadership in key technologies like AI and chips as a matter of national power, to be promoted and protected by the state.
Definition
Techno-nationalism is the idea that a country's strength and security are tied to its lead in critical technologies — such as AI, semiconductors, and telecommunications — and that governments should therefore actively promote their own tech industries while restricting rivals' access. It shows up as subsidies for home-grown chipmaking, export controls on advanced hardware, screening of foreign investment, and the broader push for sovereign AI. The mindset frames technology less as a shared global endeavor and more as a race between nations, and it has become a defining feature of AI policy.