US President Donald Trump has honoured six of America's leading technology pioneers, including Indian-origin Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, with the country's highest awards for scientific achievement and technological innovation, describing their contributions as central to America's global technological leadership.
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. Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su received the National Medal of Science.
The ceremony brought together some of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, cloud computing and space exploration.
Trump singled out Nadella for transforming Microsoft into a global technology powerhouse and positioning the company at the forefront of artificial intelligence.
"For more than three decades, Satya Nadella has been a key figure in the transformation of Microsoft," Trump said.
He credited Nadella with developing Microsoft's cloud computing capabilities and expanding its 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.
The award citation recognised Nadella's leadership in revitalising Microsoft for the cloud computing era and building infrastructure capable of supporting the development and global deployment of advanced AI.
Michael Dell was also honoured for helping make personal computers widely accessible and building a global technology company.
Trump calls Musk a modern-day Thomas Edison
Trump described Musk as a modern-day Thomas Edison, praising his achievements in space exploration, electric vehicles, satellite communications and artificial intelligence.
"Elon is our modern-day Thomas Edison," Trump said, describing the SpaceX founder as a national treasure.
He credited Musk with changing the economics of space exploration through SpaceX, which he founded in 2002. Trump said the company's reusable rockets had reduced America's dependence on foreign countries for transporting astronauts into space.
The President also congratulated SpaceX on what he described as the safe return of Crew-12 from the International Space Station shortly before the ceremony.
"SpaceX saved NASA from relying on foreign nations to send our astronauts into space," he said.
Trump also praised Starship, SpaceX's rocket designed for rapid reuse, and Starlink, its satellite communications network.
Recalling the impact of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, Trump said Starlink helped restore vital communications after flooding left communities isolated. He said he received an appeal for assistance and contacted Musk directly, following which Starlink equipment arrived within hours despite logistical difficulties.
"So I never forgot that experience. It was a terrible time and the job he (Elon Musk) did, and he acted so fast," Trump said.
The President claimed the intervention had saved hundreds of lives, although the figure was not independently substantiated in the summit transcript.
Trump also highlighted Musk's contributions to the automobile industry through Tesla and his work on brain-computer interfaces through Neuralink. He said Neuralink was developing technology intended to restore functions such as sight, speech and movement to people with severe disabilities.
The President also recalled an unusual historical connection between his family and inventor Nikola Tesla. He said his uncle, Dr John Trump, a longtime professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had been asked by the US government to assess Tesla's scientific work and had concluded that Tesla was a genuine scientific genius.
Musk's companies operate across several strategically important industries, including commercial space launches, electric vehicles, satellite communications and AI. SpaceX has become a major partner of NASA, while Starlink has expanded access to satellite-based internet services worldwide.
Brin, Huang and Su recognised for technological contributions
Google co-founder Sergey Brin received the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the development of algorithms that transformed how people access information.
Trump said Brin had returned to Google to personally drive progress in superintelligence.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was recognised for advancing graphics processing technology, which now plays a central role in the computing infrastructure used to develop and operate AI systems.
"The entire world is now running on Nvidia," Trump said.
AMD CEO Lisa Su was honoured for her contributions to semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing.
The awards recognised the recipients' contributions across several areas of science and technology, including AI, computing infrastructure, semiconductor development and space exploration.
Trump outlines US scientific priorities
During the ceremony, Trump also outlined his administration's scientific priorities, including quantum computing, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and space exploration.
He said the United States was working towards developing a quantum computer for scientific discovery by 2028.
Trump also referred to the Genesis mission and a White House accord on superintelligence, highlighting the administration's efforts to maintain American leadership in emerging technologies.
The National Medal of Science recognises outstanding contributions to scientific knowledge, while the National Medal of Technology and Innovation honours achievements that strengthen technological progress and innovation in the United States.
The recognition of six technology leaders comes as the US continues to focus on strengthening its position in AI, advanced computing, semiconductor manufacturing and space exploration.
