Innovation Imperative
Advancing the “I” in GRIPS — Innovation That Defines the Balance of Power
Strategic Advantage Through AI, Chips, and Tech Governance
Kennedy visiting California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Innovation in the GRIPS Framework
- Innovation is the engine of the GRIPS Framework, the “I” that turns resilience into renewal and freedom into advantage.
- In an age when technology determines whose values shape the world, democracies must innovate not only faster—but fairer.
- It is the test of whether free societies can deliver solutions at the speed of change while preserving the principles that make discovery worth pursuing.
Why Innovation Defines the Balance of Power
- In an era of strategic competition, innovation is not just an economic multiplier—it is a geopolitical imperative. The nations that lead in compute, connectivity, and coordination will shape the global order.
- From artificial intelligence to quantum breakthroughs, the battlefield of the 21st century stretches beyond borders and into the digital realm. But it’s not just about speed of discovery. It’s about building trusted ecosystems, winning global adoption, and governing wisely.
“We cannot win a contest of systems by playing defense alone. America must go on technological offense—backed by trusted standards, enduring institutions, and a human-centered ethic of discovery.”
What’s at Stake
- Innovation today is not just a matter of national pride. It is how democracies:
- Compete with authoritarian tech models
- Sustain military and industrial advantage
- Build alliances through shared tech platforms
- Govern AI, chips, and cloud in line with human dignity and democratic values
- Expand freedom through digital interoperability and trust
- Innovation runs across the entire GRIPS framework—it fuels Resilience, demands Governance, enhances Security, shapes Perception, and drives the tools of statecraft.
Explore the Pillars of Innovation Imperative
- Explore how Mark Kennedy’s work bridges global competition, democratic innovation, and strategic coherence across seven key domains:
- Leadership in frontier domains—from AI safety to compute advantage, quantum R&D, and the race to build responsible systems of intelligence.
- Building the democratic world’s capacity in semiconductors, fabs, talent, and chip design.
- Winning the race to build and export interoperable technology ecosystems that scale freedom and resist digital authoritarianism.
- Governance architecture for aligning standards, procurement, and digital development around shared values.
- Telecom, Satellites, and Subsea Cables in Strategic Competition.
- Strengthening innovation pipelines across universities, industry, national labs, and allied partnerships—foundational to long-term tech leadership.
- Export controls, AI ethics, safety protocols, and standards regimes that ensure technologies serve democracy, not control.
Activating Advantage Across Sectors
- Mark Kennedy’s innovation leadership spans business, government, and academia. In the private sector, he helped launch a retail software startup later acquired by Oracle for $630 million.
- In Congress, he championed broadband expansion, STEM education, and digital adoption in manufacturing and healthcare.
- As a university president, he established a research center for autonomous systems at the University of North Dakota, and secured one of the National Science Foundation’s first AI Research Institutes at the University of Colorado.
- Kennedy's track record reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing American innovation—from shaping semiconductor strategy and AI governance to scaling digital ecosystems in partnership with industry, academia, and allied institutions.
🎤 Related Keynotes
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