Trump Launches Manhattan-Project-Scale AI Mission Mobilizing 40,000 U.S. Scientists

On Monday, Donald Trump signed a sweeping Executive Order launching what his administration is calling the “Genesis Mission” — a major national initiative to marshal the talents of U.S. scientists and engineers, advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) in the name of renewed global scientific leadership.

The plan is being likened by top officials to pivotal past efforts such as the Manhattan Project of World War II and the Apollo Program that took Americans to the Moon. As Chris Wright, Secretary of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), put it: “With this pen today, President Trump signed an historic mission … reminiscent of the Manhattan Project … similar to the Apollo projects that put a man on the moon in 1969.”

His remarks are part of a broader message: this is an all-in national effort to pair the world-class scientists and engineers of U.S. national laboratories, universities and private industry with supercomputers and AI platforms to compete globally.

Scale, Scope & Ambition

According to the DOE’s description, the Genesis Mission will engage around 40,000 scientists, engineers and technical staff at the DOE’s 17 national labs, along with industry and academic partners. A central pillar of the initiative is the creation of a new platform dubbed the “American Science and Security Platform,” which will integrate supercomputing, AI, massive federal datasets and experimental infrastructure.

“The Genesis Mission will transform American science and innovation through the AI computing revolution,” the DOE statement says, noting that the effort aims to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade.

What It Will Do – And Why Now

The Executive Order tasks the DOE, in coordination with other agencies such as NSF, NIST and NIH, to marshal resources, data and infrastructure to advance breakthroughs in three priority areas:

• Energy dominance: Use AI and high-performance computing to accelerate next-generation nuclear, fusion energy and grid modernization.

• Discovery science: Empower scientists to use AI-driven experiments, simulations and data analysis in fields such as materials science, biology, high-energy physics.

• National security: Develop advanced AI techniques for protecting critical infrastructure, enhancing the U.S. nuclear deterrent, building advanced materials.

The White House says this mobilization is necessary because America’s scientific edge is under pressure — fewer new drug approvals, declining research output, and increasing international competition in areas like AI and quantum computing.

In the words of White House science adviser Michael Kratsios: “The Genesis Mission will use AI to automate experiment design … shortening discovery timelines from years to days or even hours.”

Funding, Partners & Infrastructure

While the initiative is ambitious in scope, questions remain about funding, though existing legislation is cited as a basis.

Private-sector technology firms are expected to play a major role. Companies such as Nvidia, Dell, AMD and HPE have been mentioned as potential partners.

The DOE is tasked with identifying computing, storage and networking resources for the platform, ensuring cybersecurity compliance, and selecting initial model and data assets for the mission.

Impacts on Energy Costs, Economy & Society

Secretary Wright emphasised that one of the mission’s goals is to “fix rising energy costs” by deploying AI-enhanced energy technologies and modernizing the electrical grid. “We’re going to stop the rise of the price of energy,” he said.

From an economic perspective, the administration views the initiative as a way to create high-tech jobs, improve competitiveness, and enable longer and healthier lives through accelerated research.

By explicitly comparing the Genesis Mission to the Manhattan Project and the Apollo Program, the administration is casting this as a “wartime-scale” mobilization. The White House fact sheet mentions “the largest marshalling of federal scientific resources since the Apollo program.”

Considerations, Challenges & Outlook

Analysts note challenges ahead: securing long-term funding, balancing open scientific collaboration with national security, managing soaring computing-energy demands, and ensuring the workforce of 40,000 is fully mobilised.

It remains to be seen how quickly the systems will translate into breakthroughs, but the initiative marks a bold shift in U.S. strategy in the global AI race.

What’s Next

The Genesis Mission is expected to unfold through several major steps. The Department of Energy will begin by choosing the first wave of data sets, supercomputing assets, and AI model frameworks that will anchor the initiative. Alongside this, the administration plans to deepen its collaboration with private-sector technology firms that can supply cutting-edge computing power and AI capabilities. Officials will also outline a set of scientific challenge portfolios, essentially mapping out the priority problems the program aims to solve. All of this will take place under the supervision of the president’s top science and technology adviser, who will coordinate efforts across agencies. With the signing of the order, President Trump has effectively launched the Genesis Mission—a national push that his administration believes will redefine America’s scientific and technological trajectory.