The Pentagon and AI giants have a weakness. Both need China’s batteries, badly.

In northern Virginia’s Data Center Alley, windowless buildings the size of aircraft hangars are powering the United States’ artificial intelligence industry, which is locked in a race against China.

Yet, these data centers are increasingly reliant on China, the U.S.’s geopolitical rival, for a vital technology: batteries.

These facilities can use as much electricity as a small city, straining local power grids. Even flickers can have cascading effects, corrupting sensitive AI computer coding.