White House to Present National Science and Technology Medals to Tech Leaders

President Donald Trump is scheduled to present the United States’ top science and technology honours to a group of prominent technology executives and founders at a White House ceremony on Thursday, according to the White House and reports by India Today and the South China Morning Post. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and AMD chief executive Lisa Su are to receive the National Medal of Science. The National Science Foundation describes the award as the country’s highest honour for scientists and engineers, recognising outstanding contributions to scientific research and discovery.

Dell Technologies chief executive Michael Dell and Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella are to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The award is described by the US Patent and Trademark Office as the nation’s highest honour for technological achievement. The ceremony will form part of an event focused on scientific discovery.

The South China Morning Post said it was titled “Science: A New Golden Age,” while India Today reported that the event would also highlight the administration’s plans to overhaul the management and distribution of federal scientific research funding. Those plans were first released in July by Michael Kratsios, the administration’s technology adviser, according to India Today. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman were also scheduled to speak, based on the event invitation and a post by Kratsios on X.

White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the administration was grateful for the recipients’ contributions and that they were helping the United States maintain global leadership in innovation. The supplied reports do not provide the individual citations for the medals or explain how the award selections were made. The ceremony also comes after a period of changing relations between Trump and Musk.

Musk, who was a major donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, had fallen out with the president after serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, according to the South China Morning Post. The report said Musk had since returned to Trump’s good graces. Musk and Huang attended a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, the South China Morning Post reported.

Technology executives also met at the White House the previous week, when they promised to self-regulate against possible threats from artificial intelligence. Trump has rejected warnings that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity and has instead said the technology is central to what he calls the “Golden Age” of the US economy during his second term. The South China Morning Post also reported that Republicans could lose control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections amid voter concerns about the Iran war and the cost of living, placing the awards ceremony within a wider political setting.