The inaugural Energy and Innovation Summit, organized by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., will convene at Carnegie Mellon University and feature President Donald Trump, who is making his second visit to Western Pennsylvania in less than two months.
Trump and Mr. McCormick are poised to announce a $70 billion-plus investment in energy and artificial intelligence in Pennsylvania, the Post-Gazette has learned.
At least 60 industry CEOs, six Trump administration cabinet members, and Gov. Josh Shapiro will also appear at the summit, Mr. McCormick said in an interview with KDKA Radio.
"This is big stuff," Mr. McCormick said, and will "determine the future of America."
Here's what to know about the event, which promises to "showcase Pennsylvania's incredible potential to power the AI revolution."
Why is Pittsburgh hosting the energy and AI summit?
For years, Pittsburgh has seen an influx of technology companies cropping up and expanding operations across the city. Pittsburgh also offers the natural resources that could set AI advancements in motion, making it well-positioned to become a hub for AI innovation.
Tech giants such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google have been growing their presence in the Steel City in recent years. Facebook is expanding its augmented and virtual reality labs, and Google has taken over more of Bakery Square in the city's East End. In 2018, Microsoft acquired Pittsburgh-based cloud data storage company Avere Systems.
Tuesday's summit comes after Amazon announced last month a $20 billion investment in artificial intelligence "innovation centers" across the state, with initial locations set for Luzerne and Bucks counties in Eastern Pennsylvania.
"Pennsylvania offers a powerful model for how regional ecosystems can drive national competitiveness," Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian wrote in an op-ed for the Post-Gazette.
Who will be at the summit?
An official guest list hadn't been released as of Monday, but heavy hitters in the technology and energy sectors are expected to attend.
On the tech side, invitees include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, could also be attending, according to Axios.
As for energy industry leaders, Darren Woods of ExxonMobil, Wael Sawan of Shell, and Mike Wirth of Chevron have also been invited.
The summit is a long time in the making for Mr. McCormick, who first got Energy Secretary Chris Wright on board for the proposed event in January during one of his first major hearings as a U.S. senator.
Mr. McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, campaigned on boosting the energy sector in Pennsylvania — and across the country. The summit comes after he and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., introduced a bill last month that would relocate the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management to Pittsburgh.
Mr. Shapiro, who is expected to deliver a fireside chat at Tuesday's event, has said he views the summit as an opportunity to bring investments and energy jobs to Pennsylvania.
Along with Trump, top government officials, including Mr. Wright, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are among other invitees to Tuesday's summit. Trump's "AI czar," David Sacks, is also expected to be at the event, Axios reported.
Summit agenda
The summit will include a series of panel discussions on topics such as the AI race and specific opportunities for Pennsylvania to get ahead in the AI revolution, according to a letter sent to members of the CMU community. Panelists include business executives, public officials, and university presidents.
The summit's "Industry and Academic Expo" will showcase a slew of tech and energy companies and faculty innovators from research universities across the state.
The event will close with a roundtable discussion with senior industry leaders, with Trump and Mr. McCormick leading a conversation about "shaping the future of American innovation," the university said.
How investments could shape Pennsylvania
Mr. McCormick is aiming to use the summit as a "catalyst" to attract investments in Pennsylvania and "create great jobs," he said in his KDKA Radio interview Monday. A portion of the money from the $70 billion-plus investment will "start flowing immediately," while the rest will be over the next several years, he said.
The money will go toward data centers, energy infrastructure, and skilled labor, among other initiatives, the senator said.
"We want to be able to give an opportunity for our kids that is better than any other place they could go," he said, adding that he also hopes to attract young people from other states to Pennsylvania.
The summit follows the unveiling of Mr. Shapiro's proposed "Lightning Plan" announced earlier this year, which also aims to create more jobs. While much of Mr. Shapiro's energy policy conflicts with that of his Republican peers, bringing energy jobs to Pennsylvania has become a common goal.
"Pennsylvania has long been a national energy leader, from Ben Franklin to today, but right now, we're letting other states outcompete us and we're losing out on jobs, new investment and innovation — that has to change," Mr. Shapiro said alongside industry and labor leaders in March at Voith Hydro North America's plant in York, one of the world's largest hydro turbine manufacturers.
Scheduled protests outside the summit
Almost 1,500 people signed a petition urging CMU to reconsider its decision to host Tuesday's innovation summit.
"CMU's reputation is at stake," the petition says. "By hosting this summit, at which major fossil fuel, oil, and AI executives, along with Donald Trump himself, will be present, CMU cannot claim to defend sustainability, freedom of speech, or democracy in good faith."
Days after the petition was given to university leadership, Mr. Jahanian released a statement declaring the summit to be "consequential to elevating and advancing both Carnegie Mellon's mission and impact."
Protests are expected throughout the day at and around CMU's campus on Tuesday.
Indivisible Pittsburgh, which has been organizing protests outside Mr. McCormick's local office, is one of the groups leading the protest.
Like many colleges and universities across the country, CMU's interests are at odds with some of the Trump administration's policies, and the university is at risk of losing millions of dollars in research funding. While Mr. Jahanian acknowledged the university's "policy disagreements" with the Trump administration about the cuts and support for international students, he reaffirmed that higher education "must be a convener."
"Universities must remain places where divergent perspectives can be expressed freely and peacefully," he wrote in his letter.
Security and road closures
The summit is not open to the public, and pre-clearances are required for participants and invited guests. However, the event will be livestreamed.
The U.S. Secret Service, along with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police and Pennsylvania State Police, are managing security for the event and the area surrounding campus. CMU, the University of Pittsburgh and Chatham University officers will also assist authorities.
Temporary road and sidewalk closures on Forbes and Fifth avenues are expected throughout the day Tuesday, the university said. Other nearby streets could also be affected.
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