Donald Trump unveils super intelligence hub as AI pledges hit billions

President Donald Trump has announced a new regional computing hub and backed a series of major research initiatives, while declaring that the artificial intelligence industry will be left to self-regulate.

Speaking at the US Institute of Peace on Thursday, Trump introduced what the White House is calling an "SI Compute Hub" in the American Southeast. The acronym stands for "super intelligence" — a term Trump has forcefully championed, posting on Truth Social before the event that anyone refusing to use the phrase is "an enemy".

The new Southeastern hub is slated to benefit more than 14 institutions across 10 states, though the administration did not immediately publish a list of the participating universities or laboratories.

Where is the money coming from?

The announcement comes alongside reports of significant financial commitments for the sector, though the exact breakdown of the funding remains complex. Bloomberg reported that the administration was preparing to unveil $2.4 billion in total pledges to boost AI research.

So far, the largest single confirmed piece of that total is a $1 billion investment in Georgia. That initiative, announced jointly by Georgia universities, private industry, and the state government, is designed to fund scientific research and training for students and faculty.

Separately, details of an initiative dubbed the "Project Genesis Mission" have emerged, with reports pointing to more than $1 billion in private pledges specifically earmarked for scientific AI research. The White House has not yet clarified how much of the broader $2.4 billion figure relies on new federal appropriations versus these private and state-level pledges.

Hands-off regulation and tech honours

Addressing the crowd, Trump framed the initiatives as a matter of national security and economic dominance. "From day one, my administration has taken decisive action to ensure that America continues to dominate the frontiers of science and technology," Trump said.

However, the president made it clear that this dominance would not involve federal oversight. He stated that the AI industry will continue to self-regulate, rejecting calls from some lawmakers and researchers for formal safety guidelines or federal guardrails.

To mark the event, Trump also distributed top national scientific honours to several prominent tech figures who have supported or advised his administration. The recipients included Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.