Timothy Fist

Fellow, Technology & National Security

Center for a New American Security

Areas of expertise: Compute governance, Hardware, National security, US AI policy

Timothy Fist is a Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS. His work focuses on the governance of artificial intelligence using compute/computing hardware. His current research interests include the governance of data centers and cloud computing, and addressing AI chip smuggling using technical measures. Previously, Timothy worked as the Head of Strategy & Governance at Fathom Radiant, an artificial intelligence hardware company. Prior to that work, Timothy held several senior machine learning engineering positions, and was the Head of Product at Eliiza, a machine learning consultancy. With a background in machine learning and emerging AI hardware technologies, Timothy brings a technical lens to problems in national security and AI policy. His career has included developing and deploying AI systems for large companies, writing code currently being used on a satellite in orbit, and building software in a wide range of domains, including agriculture, finance, telecommunications, and space navigation.

Selected Publications

Fist, T., Heim, L., & Schneider, J. (2023). Chinese Firms Are Evading Chip Controls. Foreign Policy

Fist, T., Depp, M., & Withers, C. (2023). Response to OSTP “National Priorities for Artificial Intelligence Request for Information”. Center for a New American Security.