President Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to work with technology companies and universities to transform government data into new scientific discoveries, advancing his plan to make artificial intelligence a central driver of U.S. economic growth.
On Monday, Trump announced the “Genesis Mission” through an executive order directing the Department of Energy and national laboratories to create a unified digital platform that will consolidate the nation’s scientific data.
The initiative invites private companies and universities to apply their AI capabilities to federal challenges in engineering, energy, and national security—such as improving the efficiency of the U.S. electric grid—according to White House officials who briefed reporters anonymously ahead of the order’s signing. They did not suggest that medical research was a focus of the program.
According to the executive order, the Genesis Mission will unite America’s research assets—national lab scientists, private industry, universities, and existing data and infrastructure—to dramatically speed up AI innovation and deployment.
The White House described the undertaking as the largest mobilization of federal scientific resources since the Apollo missions, even as the administration has reduced billions in research funding and many scientists have lost jobs and grants.
Trump is increasingly relying on the tech industry and AI development to fuel economic growth. That strategy was highlighted during his recent meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has pledged $1 trillion—largely from oil and gas revenues—to transform Saudi Arabia into a major AI data hub.
Funding for the U.S. portion of the initiative was included in the tax and spending package Trump signed in July, officials said.
Although AI’s high electricity usage has sparked concerns about rising energy bills—an issue that could pose political risks for Trump—administration officials argued that costs should fall over time. They said growing demand will expand transmission capacity and ultimately lower the cost per unit of electricity.
Data centers powering AI consumed roughly 1.5% of global electricity last year, and their energy use is expected to more than double by 2030, the International Energy Agency reports. This growth could result in increased burning of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, which produce greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
The Genesis Mission will draw on both national laboratory supercomputers and private-sector high-performance computing systems. Because the project involves public data—including national security information—used alongside private computing resources, officials emphasized that safeguards would be in place to protect sensitive information.