It sure seems like it would be being built more slowly if these companies weren't pouring billions of dollars into building it as fast as possible.

That might give us more time to think through strategies for handling it as a society.

MY cynical take: Until the compute needs get so enormous that only governments can fund it and there is a consensus internationally, its either company A in country X or company B in country Y. And since everyone thinks THEY are the good guys the competition will continue.