The Trump administration has announced the allocation of $5 billion for research where artificial intelligence will play a key role. The funds will be directed towards solving long-standing scientific challenges in healthcare and construction.
The funding will enable the identification of causes for chronic diseases, accelerate drug development, and create more durable construction materials. This was stated in an official White House statement dated July 22, 2026.
Scientists will gain access to the Department of Energy's supercomputers, specialized datasets, and other tools for experimenting with algorithms. Michael Kratsios, the President's chief technology advisor, told Reuters about this.
Fifteen federal agencies are participating in the project, including the departments of Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation, Defense, and Homeland Security. The White House is coordinating their efforts as part of a unified initiative to apply AI in science.
Concurrently, the administration plans to change the federal research funding system. The focus will shift towards supporting individual scientists and the use of AI, rather than universities. This will give the government greater control over fund allocation.
A report prepared by Kratsios emphasizes: "Federal support for science must be politically accountable." Previously, attempts to increase control have faced resistance from courts, particularly regarding grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Microsoft will contribute: the company will allocate $40 million in AI computing credits over three years. The US government possesses some of the world's largest datasets – from chemical substances to patient medical records.
How will this affect the balance between scientific independence and government control?
The initiative opens new opportunities for training AI models on government data and finding answers to complex scientific questions.
