BUFFALO, N.Y. — The American Edge Project is a coalition of industry and governmental leaders including Meta, the National Small Business Association and the National Black Chamber of Commerce that are advocating for America as a global technological leader.

CEO Doug Kelly said the primary focus is on the strategic technologies of tomorrow.

"It's microchips. It's artificial intelligence. It's quantum computing and all the other things that are going to determine which country has kind of geopolitical leadership in the decades to come," Kelly said.

He compared the current tech race between countries to the Space Race between the United States and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. This time, Kelly said, the goal is to keep the U.S. ahead of not just Russia, but China. 

"The stakes are really, really high because the winner of that contest is going to get a decades-long advantage in national security, economic prosperity as well as global influence," he said.

The CEO said New York, with its focus on expanding its AI and microchip sectors, is positioned as one of the country's key players. Kelly said last week's visit from Dutch royals and agreement to partner with the Netherlands is another important step.

"It's great for New York because it's going to strengthen New York's leadership in advanced technologies, especially semiconductors,” he said. “It's going to deepen the talent pool there and it's also helping shore up our supply chain of microchips.”

American Edge said, rather than an isolationist policy, it's important for the United States to partner with countries that share similar visions and values about new technology. 

"We believe in democracy. We believe in openness. We believe in freedom of expression and that is reflected in our technologies and technologies help advance those values as well,” Kelly said. “China and Russia have a very different view when it comes to how technology is used. Generally they use it for the government to control to censor, to surveil their populations.”

He said when countries export their technology to other countries, they not only benefit economically, but also export their vision for its use.