In a recent important meeting, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella engaged in in-depth discussions with U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The main topics of the meeting revolved around artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, marking a further engagement between the tech industry and the new government.
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According to a statement from Microsoft, the meeting discussed the company's plan to invest $80 billion globally in the construction of AI data centers, with over $50 billion allocated for the U.S. This investment is expected to create a significant number of jobs in the United States. Microsoft's President Brad Smith also participated in the meeting, along with Trump's campaign partner JD Vance.
Since Trump won the presidential election last year, the relationship between Silicon Valley and Trump has gradually warmed, despite frequent frictions during his first term. Many tech leaders have chosen to visit Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where Trump and Musk held a series of private meetings and dinners to discuss future plans.
During the meeting, Smith warned the upcoming Trump administration against implementing overly strict regulations on artificial intelligence. He pointed out that the primary goal of U.S. public policy should be to ensure the smooth development of the private sector. He emphasized the need for a pragmatic export control policy that balances robust security protections for AI components in trusted data centers with the ability of U.S. companies to expand rapidly, thus providing reliable supplies to America's allies and friends.
With the surge in demand for AI services, cloud infrastructure providers like Microsoft and Amazon are racing to expand their computing capabilities and build new data centers. As of the last fiscal year ending June 2024, Microsoft’s capital expenditures exceeded $50 billion, mostly for the construction of server farms, primarily to meet the demand for AI services.
The construction of data centers requires a large number of high-performance chips, and Microsoft is closely collaborating with several companies, including Nvidia and Dell Technologies. Additionally, to meet the enormous energy demands, Microsoft has even reached an agreement to restart reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, which is known for its partial meltdown incident in 1979. Amazon and Google have also signed similar nuclear power agreements.
Key Points:
🌐 The meeting discussed Microsoft's plan to invest $80 billion in global AI data centers, with $50 billion allocated for the U.S.
🤝 Silicon Valley seeks to establish better relations with the Trump administration, with tech leaders frequently visiting Trump’s estate.
⚡ The construction of data centers requires a large number of high-performance chips, and Microsoft plans to collaborate with nuclear power plants to meet energy needs.
