Twenty-four leading artificial intelligence companies, including Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Nvidia Corp., OpenAI and Amazon.com Inc.’s AWS, have committed to the U.S. government’s ambitious ‘Genesis Mission,’ a Trump administration initiative designed to harness AI for breakthroughs in scientific discovery and energy research. The Department of Energy announced the participants Thursday, marking a pivotal expansion of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month.

The mission aims to unite vast federal datasets from national laboratories with cutting-edge AI models, accelerating research in fields from materials science to fusion energy. ‘This is the largest marshaling of federal scientific resources since the Apollo program,’ a White House official told CBS News. Industry executives see it as a chance to tap unprecedented data troves while advancing national priorities.

Participation signals a thaw in relations between Big Tech and the federal government, following years of tensions over regulation and antitrust scrutiny. Companies joining include Meta Platforms Inc., IBM Corp. and startups like Anthropic, alongside energy firms such as ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp.

Roots in Trump’s Executive Push

The Genesis Mission stems from an executive order Trump signed on November 25, directing national labs to broaden access to their datasets and supercomputing resources. ‘By the authority vested in me as President… it is hereby ordered,’ the order states on the White House website. The directive tasks the Energy Department with creating an AI platform linking labs, industry and academia.

DOE laid out a $320 million plan in December, focusing on AI-driven discoveries, according to The Register. National labs like Oak Ridge and Argonne will provide petabytes of data on climate modeling, drug discovery and quantum materials. ‘Genesis Mission… will leverage the government supercomputing labs with a vast trove of research data,’ reported HPCwire.

Tech leaders met with White House officials this week to coordinate on Trump’s science directives, sources familiar said. The gathering at E&E News-covered session underscored commitments to AI for energy security amid global competition with China.

Industry Heavyweights Line Up

Bloomberg’s report detailed the full roster: Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, OpenAI, AWS, plus Palantir Technologies Inc., xAI and Scale AI. ‘Two dozen top artificial intelligence companies have signed on,’ Bloomberg wrote. Nvidia, the chip kingpin powering most AI training, brings hardware expertise; OpenAI contributes frontier models like GPT variants.

AWS and Google Cloud will handle data pipelines, while Microsoft Azure integrates with federal systems. Energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron aim to apply AI to subsurface modeling and carbon capture. Posts on X from White House tech accounts highlighted momentum, with one noting government AI tools must be ‘truth-seeking and ideologically neutral.’

The coalition promises to develop specialized AI models trained on declassified lab data, potentially yielding advances in battery tech and fusion reactors. Risks loom, however, including data privacy and dual-use tech for military applications, as flagged by Nature.

Supercomputing at the Core

Genesis taps DOE’s exascale supercomputers, like Frontier at Oak Ridge, the world’s fastest. These machines will train AI on proprietary datasets inaccessible to private firms. ‘A new federal initiative aims to accelerate scientific discovery by uniting artificial intelligence with large federal datasets,’ Scientific American explained.

Funding flows from DOE’s $320 million allocation, with industry matching via in-kind contributions like compute credits. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has praised such public-private ties, calling AI a ‘once-in-a-generation’ shift. OpenAI’s Sam Altman echoed support in prior statements on AI for science.

Challenges include integrating disparate data formats and ensuring model safety. The mission mandates biosecurity evaluations, per White House guidelines shared on X.

Geopolitical Stakes Rise

Trump’s push counters China’s AI investments, framing Genesis as vital for U.S. supremacy. ‘Time to Make Space Great Again!’ one White House post exclaimed, linking to NASA ties. E&E News reported tech execs at the White House meeting pledged alignment on directives like deregulating innovation barriers.

E&E News detailed discussions on streamlining approvals for supersonic travel and high-speed rail, tying into broader tech deregulation. ‘The chief barrier… has been a regulatory regime opposed to innovation,’ official Michael Kratsios said.

Participants anticipate first models by mid-2026, targeting fusion milestones. Meta and Anthropic focus on interpretable AI to mitigate risks.

Path to Breakthroughs

Early wins could include AI-optimized alloys for greener turbines or protein folding for new drugs. NBC News quoted sources calling it a ‘supercharge’ for AI research. DOE’s announcement on X drew praise from insiders.

The mission dovetails with Trump’s ‘Tech Force’ recruiting top talent to government, per White House posts. As firms deploy resources, Wall Street watches for IP windfalls and stock boosts—Nvidia shares rose 3% post-announcement.

Genesis positions the U.S. to lead AI-augmented science, blending federal might with private ingenuity in a high-stakes race for dominance.