Tech Diplomacy Now: A New Era of Supersonic Flight?
Passengers could fly from New York to Los Angeles in two hours.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tech Diplomacy Updates
Top News of the Week
Latest News
Technology Strategy and Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Synthetic Biology
Quantum
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Energy and Climate
Opinion and Commentary
The Last Word
Michelle Giuda Discusses How AI Is Reshaping Modern Warfare on CNBC
In this conversation with CNBC Squawk Box, Krach Institute CEO Michelle Giuda talks about Iran and how AI is transforming the way wars are fought – not just on the battlefield, but across the commercial, financial and information domains – and why building an America-led trusted tech stack with our allies is now a national security imperative.
Watch here.
Krach Institute Hosts Trusted Tech Roundtable with African Diplomats
On June 17, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue partnered with Year of Return Africa (YORA) to convene senior African diplomats from 12 countries, U.S. government officials, technology leaders, academics from Purdue University and African schools, and private sector executives for a high-level roundtable on advancing trusted technology and economic partnerships across Africa. The participants discussed growing the middle class on the continent, expanding digital infrastructure, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, enhancing financial mechanisms, mitigating risks, and accelerating workforce development.
Top News of the Week - A New Era of Supersonic Flight?
On June 6, President Trump directed the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to repeal the prohibition put in place in 1973 on overland supersonic flight in the United States. This 52-year ban undermined commercial efforts to develop a more advanced commercial aerospace industry and came two years after Congress scrapped the Supersonic Transport (SST) program in 1971.
Key Points:
In 1971, two years after the passage of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act), Congress canceled funding of the Supersonic Transport (SST) program. By 1973, with concerns over noise pollution, President Nixon directed the FAA to prohibit supersonic flight over the United States.
That regulation has made it difficult for companies with advanced designs for supersonic commercial aircraft to get funding and start production.
For years, NASA has pushed to repeal the ban on supersonic flight over land in the United States to spur the development of “low boom” jets.
It now appears that there are several companies ready to move forward with supersonic commercial aircraft which could see passengers flying from New York to Los Angeles in as little as two hours, less than half the time current commercial airliners take to fly that route.
By 2030, the United States may have commercial airliners flying between Mach 1.3 and 1.7. United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines have placed orders with Boom Supersonic at its Greensboro, North Carolina factory for their Overture passenger jet.
More on Background:
Leading The World in Supersonic Flight – The White House, June 6, 2025
United Airlines to Benefit as US Lifts Ban on Overland Supersonic Flights – Simple Flying, June 10, 2025
52-year Ban on Supersonic Flight Over U.S. to Be Lifted – Airways, June 7, 2025
Supersonic air travel gets green light in U.S. after 50-year ban lifted – Fast Company, June 6, 2025
Breaking the Sound Barrier—Again – Boom Supersonics, June 6, 2025
Latest News
Google and U.S. Experts Join on A.I. Hurricane Forecasts – NYTs, June 12, 2025
The Army’s Newest Recruits: Tech Execs from Meta, OpenAI and More – WSJ, June 13, 2025
Clock Ticks as U.S. and China Try to Undo Devastating Trade Curbs – NYTs, June 10, 2025
The Silicon State – The Wire China, June 8, 2025
Trump Planning to Extend TikTok Deadline—Again – WSJ, June 6, 2025
Technology Strategy and Policy
Japan, Netherlands' chip exports to China foil US policy: official – Nikkei Asia, June 13, 2025
Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins – WSJ, June 13, 2025
Countering AI Chip Smuggling Has Become a National Security Priority – CNAS, June 11, 2025
UK ministers delay AI regulation amid plans for more ‘comprehensive’ bill – The Guardian, June 7, 2025
Artificial Intelligence
AI Companies Should Be Wary of Gulf Spending Spree – WSJ, June 16, 2025
A.I. Is Poised to Rewrite History. Literally. – NYTs, June 16, 2025
China Uses Artificial Intelligence to Eliminate References to the Tiananmen Square Massacre – Bitter Winter, June 12, 2025
Inside Amsterdam’s high-stakes experiment to create fair welfare AI – MIT Technology Review, June 11, 2025
Manus has kick-started an AI agent boom in China – MIT Technology Review, June 5, 2025
How Alibaba Helped China Take the Lead From the U.S. in Open-Source AI – The Information, June 3, 2025
China is gaining ground in the global race to develop AI agents – Rest of the World, June 1, 2025
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Frequent TikTok users in Taiwan more likely to agree with pro-China narratives, study finds – The Guardian, June 6, 2025
China’s Hainan offers global internet access to some to boost free-trade port ambitions – SCMP, June 5, 2025
How Telstra’s new satellite-to-mobile messaging lets you text using Starlink – Sydney Morning Herald, June 3, 2025
Critical Minerals
China’s Chokehold on This Obscure Mineral Threatens the West’s Militaries – NYTs, June 9, 2025
Minerals for Recognition: The Taliban’s Shadow Diplomacy – Geopolitical Monitor, June 6, 2025
Trump set to waive some legal requirements to boost critical minerals – Reuters, June 4, 2025
Global alarms rise as China's critical mineral export ban takes hold – Reuters, June 3, 2025
How dependent is America’s arsenal on China’s critical mineral supply? – SCMP, June 2, 2025
How to break China’s stranglehold on critical minerals – FT, June 2, 2025
China’s Rare Earths Grip Gives Xi Leverage in US Trade Duel – Bloomberg, June 2, 2025
Synthetic Biology
Fauna Bio Unveils Fauna Brain™ AI Platform to Accelerate Drug Discovery Inspired by Nature’s Most Resilient Species - SynBioBeta, June 16, 2025
American biotech dominance under threat – Boston Globe, June 16, 2025
Ethical Challenges and Concerns in Synthetic Biology – Baker Institute, June 6, 2025
Why Synthetic Biology Could Define Our Century – SynBioBeta, April 30, 2025
Quantum
U.S.-Allied Militaries Must Prepare for the Quantum Threat to Cryptography – RAND, June 6, 2025
Quantum firm Infleqtion raises $100 million, pairs with SAIC for defense sales – Reuters, June 2, 2025
China targets chip, quantum advances with 2030 metrology action plan in tech race with US – SCMP, June 2, 2025
Quantum computing startup wants to launch a 1000-qubit machine by 2031 that could make the traditional HPC market obsolete – Tech Radar, June 1, 2025
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Weak Aircraft Innovation Undercutting Aviation’s Green Transition – Clean Technica, June 12, 2025
China’s sixth-gen fighters: fresh photos hint at cruising capacity and drone control – SCMP, June 9, 2025
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Taiwan bans chip exports to Huawei, SMIC — ban comes after Huawei tricked TSMC into making two million AI processors despite US restrictions – Tom’s Hardware, June 15, 2025
Taiwan chip titan TSMC opens joint lab with University of Tokyo – Nikkei Asia, June 12, 2025
Arm CEO Sides With Nvidia Against US Export Limits on China – Bloomberg, June 12, 2025
Nvidia will stop including China in its forecasts amid US chip export controls, CEO says – CNN, June 12, 2025
Nvidia’s Biggest Chinese Rival Huawei Struggles to Win at Home – The Information, June 5, 2025
How the Maker of the ‘Most Complex Machine Humans Ever Created’ Is Navigating Trade Fights – NYTs, June 5, 2025
Energy and Climate
Silent risk to net-zero commitment: climate policy meets national security – The Strategist, June 13, 2025
The Audacious Reboot of America’s Nuclear Energy Program – WSJ, June 11, 2025
China’s solar PV makers seek antidote to market ills as glut, price war, Trump tariffs sting – SCMP, June 10, 2025
US suspends licenses to ship nuclear plant parts to China, sources say – Reuters, June 6, 2025
Opinion and Commentary
A Surprising Partner Can Answer America’s Trusted Tech Supply Chain Problem – Matt Vuckov, semi.org, June 17, 2025
The West has forgotten the art of strategy China and Russia are the new grandmasters – Wolfgang Manchau, Unherd, June 16, 2025
The U.S. Can Rise to the Chinese Challenge – Robert Gates, WSJ, June 13, 2025
How the United States Can Win the Global Tech Race – Vivek Chilukuri, Foreign Policy, June 9, 2025
No, AI Robots Won’t Take All Our Jobs: Instead, they will boost productivity, lower prices and spur the evolution of the labor market. – Robert Atkinson, WSJ, June 5, 2025
Apple’s Supply Chain: Economic and Geopolitical Implications – Chris Miller and Vishnu Venugopalan, AEI, June 03, 2025
The Last Word
“69 % [of tech leaders] plan to expand their teams because of GenAI.”
— Anjali Shaikh, Deloitte, highlighting how AI adoption is fueling hiring and evolving job skill sets
About: Tech Diplomacy Now
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader of the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies, and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.