AI deployment—the inference phase where models are actually used—depends far less on power and far more on communication network performance. As AI systems begin to augment human perception in real time, or guide machines through messy environments, milliseconds matter. “AI infrastructure” is beginning to loom in policymakers’ thinking as a key driver of competitiveness. The frontier is shifting from megabits to milliseconds—from scarcity of throughput to the barrier of reflex speed. “The frontier is shifting from megabits to milliseconds — from scarcity of throughput to the barrier of reflex speed.”