Trump unveils $6 billion US science push
Washington, Oct 9 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The Trump administration unveiled more than $6 billion in science and technology initiatives, bringing together federal agencies, technology companies, universities and philanthropies to accelerate research in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nuclear-powered space exploration and biomedical science.
The announcements came at the White House’s Science: A New Golden Age Summit, where President Donald Trump outlined an ambitious programme to strengthen American leadership in emerging technologies.
According to a White House fact sheet, the initiatives include $2.4 billion in computing resources and technology support from 11 industry partners for the Genesis Mission, which seeks to use superintelligence to accelerate scientific discoveries.
Nvidia committed $1 billion, followed by AMD with $500 million and OpenAI with $200 million. Anthropic and Google pledged $150 million each, while other participants included Amazon Web Services, Micron and several technology infrastructure companies.
The contributions will support more than 15 federal agencies working on scientific challenges in energy, healthcare, space and other fields.
“Today marks the most transformative day for the American scientific enterprise since the reshaping of the Federal research ecosystem following World War II,” White House science adviser Michael Kratsios said.
“The efforts announced today will channel billions of dollars across our science ecosystem to realize the new scientific opportunities that now exist,” he added.
The administration also announced a $1 billion investment involving universities, industry and the state of Georgia to expand scientific computing infrastructure and workforce training.
More than 14 universities across 10 states will participate in a regional computing consortium, while five universities in North and South Carolina will establish another research computing hub.
The National Science Foundation and Department of Energy announced more than $100 million for advanced scientific instruments and autonomous laboratories.
In quantum computing, the Energy Department launched a $215 million competition aimed at developing fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of solving scientifically relevant problems.
NASA and the Energy Department also announced plans to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft and lunar energy systems.
The projects include Space Reactor-1, a nuclear-powered spacecraft intended for a Mars mission in 2028, and Lunar Reactor-1, a proposed nuclear fission reactor on the Moon.
Biomedical research received another major push, with the National Institutes of Health, Energy Department and Biohub launching a $1.8 billion initiative to develop virtual models of cells and biological systems.
The programme aims to improve predictions of how diseases develop and how biological systems respond to potential treatments.
The administration also announced a $100 million Genesis Mission Fellowship to support accelerated doctoral programmes combining artificial intelligence with scientific and engineering disciplines.
Other initiatives include opportunities for gifted school students, early-career researchers and scientists working outside conventional research institutions.
A new X-Labs Consortium will receive more than $310 million in industry and philanthropic commitments to support multidisciplinary research teams.
The White House said the announcements build on earlier federal investments, including a $5 billion commitment supporting the Genesis Mission and a $1.5 billion National Science Foundation initiative for independent research laboratories.
The initiatives reflect the administration’s emphasis on using advanced computing and artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific research while strengthening domestic technical expertise.
The White House described the programme as a partnership among government, industry, universities and philanthropy, with the objective of maintaining American technological leadership and developing a new generation of scientists and engineers.
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