Bitcoin Think Tank Exposes $23.6B in Blocked AI Investments Due to Chinese Influence Campaigns
The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) recently took its research on foreign influence operations connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to Capitol Hill, focusing on the impact of these campaigns on US AI infrastructure development. On July 29, BPI hosted a fireside chat in the House Select Committee on the CCP's hearing room.
The event featured BPI Head of Research Sam Lyman and journalist Robby Soave discussing the research published in two reports in May and June 2026. The reports estimate that approximately $23.6 billion in proposed AI infrastructure investments have been blocked or delayed as a result of these campaigns, spanning 21 separate campaigns across 14 different states.
The influence operations are connected to 10 data center moratoria, one permanent ban on data center construction, and four proposals that were scrapped entirely. The reports documented two key vectors of influence: CCP-affiliated state media amplifying opposition to AI infrastructure projects and a nonprofit network funded by Neville Roy Singham.