Trump to Announce $90 Billion AI and Energy Investments in Pennsylvania Amid US-China Tech Race

President Trump is joining tech and energy executives for a summit in Pittsburgh to discuss the US expansion of artificial intelligence. The event will bring together top companies, including Meta, Microsoft, and Exxon Mobil, to discuss how to position the US as a leader in AI. Trump will announce $90 billion in AI and energy investments in Pennsylvania. The administration is considering executive actions to make it easier to build data centers and connect to the grid.

President Trump will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to attend the Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University. The event will bring together top executives from major tech and energy companies, including Meta, Microsoft, and Exxon Mobil, to discuss positioning the U.S. as a leader in artificial intelligence.

Senator Dave McCormick, who is hosting the summit, will announce $90 billion in AI and energy investments in Pennsylvania. The investments are part of a broader strategy to keep the U.S. ahead of China in the AI race, following recent advancements in AI by China's DeepSeek R1 model [2].

The summit will focus on the economic and national-security benefits of building AI infrastructure and attracting global investment in the state. Attendees include over 60 CEOs and leaders from energy, AI, labor, and the world's largest sources of capital. Notable figures such as Larry Fink (BlackRock), Alex Karp (Palantir), Darren Woods (ExxonMobil), and Mike Wirth (Chevron) are expected to participate [2].

The Trump administration's focus on AI and energy investments includes executive actions to make it easier to build data centers and connect to the grid. This is crucial as data centers are projected to account for 8.6% of all U.S. electricity demand by 2035, more than double their current share. The administration has emphasized the need for expanded use of coal-fired power, natural gas, and nuclear energy to meet this demand [2].

The Pittsburgh region is expected to be a key beneficiary of these investments. The summit will showcase the technological innovations being developed in the area and the massive energy resources available to power them. Pittsburgh's Gecko Robotics, which recently became a unicorn, will demonstrate its AI-powered climbing robots at the event [3].

The summit comes after Amazon's announcement of a $20 billion investment in data centers across Pennsylvania and a $14 billion partnership between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel to boost domestic steel production and protect thousands of jobs [1]. These investments are expected to significantly boost Pennsylvania's economy and create thousands of new jobs.

While the event is expected to receive pushback, as evidenced by signs painted with the words "Protest the Summit" on CMU's campus, the focus remains on the potential long-term benefits for both the state and the country as a whole.

References:
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/trump-energy-ai-summit-pittsburgh-carnegie-mellon/
[2] https://www.ainvest.com/news/eqt-rises-trump-mccormick-70b-ai-energy-investment-plans-pennsylvania-2507/
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/trump-mccormick-pennsylvania-ai-energy-investments/