Geopolitics Drives Tech Standards Competition
Competition over technology standards has become a geopolitical battleground, according to recent analysis. Dominance in setting standards is increasingly seen as a way for nations to lock in long-term security and economic advantages, intertwining technical decisions with national interests.
- China's "China Standards 2035" plan, a successor to "Made in China 2025," aims to increase its influence in setting global standards for emerging technologies like 5G, the Internet of Things, and AI. This state-centric approach contrasts with the historically market-led model of the U.S. and its Western allies. - In a strategic shift, China is moving from being a standards adopter to a standards shaper, actively participating in international standards-developing organizations (SDOs) to reshape them from within. For instance, China now participates in 778 ISO Technical Committees (TCs), the most of any country. - The European Union is pursuing "digital sovereignty" to act independently in the digital realm, establishing its own standards for data protection, cybersecurity, and online platforms to reduce dependency on foreign technologies. This strategy includes promoting European technologies through public procurement and investing in sovereign infrastructures like AI and cloud computing. - The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has slated Release 21 as the inaugural release for its 6G specification work, with a workshop anticipated in March 2025. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) expects the initial standards for its IMT-2030/6G vision to be available around 2029. - Key international bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are central to developing AI standards. Notably, ISO/IEC 42001 provides a certifiable management system for the responsible development and use of AI. - The U.S. government has been adjusting its export control regulations to allow American companies to participate more actively in international standards development, particularly in areas like biotechnology and quantum information technologies. This move is designed to prevent U.S. interests from being sidelined in global standards discussions. - Companies like Huawei have played a significant role in 5G standardization, reportedly providing more overall contributions to the end-to-end 5G standards than any other single company. However, security concerns have led several countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, and Japan, to ban or restrict the use of equipment from Huawei and ZTE in their 5G networks. - Future 6G networks are expected to integrate AI-native architectures and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), which could turn base stations into nodes of a large-scale radar system. There is ongoing debate within standards bodies about whether existing waveforms like OFDM are sufficient or if new ones like OTFS will be needed to support these capabilities.
