Washington — President Donald Trump honored six prominent technology executives, including Indian-origin Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with two of the nation’s highest awards for scientific achievement and technological innovation, recognizing their contributions to American leadership in artificial intelligence, computing and space exploration.
At the New Golden Age Summit on Thursday, Trump presented the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell. The National Medal of Science was awarded to Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
The ceremony recognized leaders whose work has helped shape industries ranging from cloud computing and semiconductors to artificial intelligence and satellite communications.
Trump praised Nadella for transforming Microsoft into a global technology leader and expanding its presence in artificial intelligence.
“For more than three decades, Satya Nadella has been a key figure in the transformation of Microsoft,” Trump said.
The president credited Nadella with strengthening Microsoft’s cloud computing business and expanding the company’s reach among businesses, students and consumers worldwide.
“Then he (Satya Nadella) had the vision to make Microsoft an early leader in super intelligence,” Trump said.
“Satya, we are honoured to give you the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. It is so well deserved. Congratulations, Satya,” he added.
Nadella’s award recognized his leadership in repositioning Microsoft for the cloud computing era and developing the infrastructure needed to support advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
Trump also celebrated Musk’s accomplishments in electric vehicles, reusable rockets and satellite communications, calling the SpaceX founder a “modern day Thomas Edison” and a national treasure.
He highlighted SpaceX’s reusable launch systems, the Starlink satellite network and Musk’s broader efforts to advance space exploration.
Brin was recognized for his role in developing Google’s search technology, which transformed how people access information online. Trump noted that Brin had returned to a more active role at Google to help accelerate its work on advanced artificial intelligence.
Huang received the National Medal of Science for his contributions to graphics processing technology, which has become essential to the development and operation of modern AI systems.
“The entire world is now running on Nvidia,” Trump said.
Su was honored for her contributions to semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing, while Dell received recognition for making personal computers more accessible and building Dell Technologies into a major global technology company.
During the summit, Trump also outlined his administration’s priorities in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nuclear energy and space exploration.
He said the United States was pursuing the development of a quantum computer for scientific discovery by 2028 and highlighted federal initiatives, including the Genesis mission and a White House accord on superintelligence, intended to strengthen American technological competitiveness.
The National Medal of Science recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to scientific knowledge, while the National Medal of Technology and Innovation honors achievements that advance technological innovation and strengthen the nation’s economy and competitiveness. (Source: IANS)
