On the 8th, U.S. President Trump attended a summit—heralded by the White House as the start of a “Golden Age” of American science—alongside several prominent tech leaders, presenting awards to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su, among others.
According to NBC News, Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Huang, Su, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Dell founder Michael Dell gathered with Trump, government officials, and renowned scientists at the U.S. Institute of Peace for the “Science: A New Golden Age Summit.”
Kicking off the afternoon’s events, Trump declared, “This is a golden age.” He also quipped, “It is rare to face an audience with such high IQs,” drawing chuckles from the crowd.
He stated, “We live in an era of American miracles and technological wonders; with the help of the brilliant minds present today, the United States will always remain in the lead.”
Trump presented the National Medal of Science to Musk, Brin, Huang, and Su, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella and Dell. After personally handing out the medals and certificates of honor, he invited some of the recipients’ family members to join them on stage for photos, telling the honorees, “You will go down in history as great figures.”
The day-long summit was designed to showcase the strength of American scientific research. Major U.S. AI companies pledged to provide federal agencies—which are researching scientific priorities identified by the White House—with approximately $2.4 billion worth of AI computing credits and scientific tools. These contributions cover areas such as quantum algorithms, AI-driven physical laboratories, and enhanced efficiency in nuclear engineering.