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Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’ by Courtney Subramanian

William Attardi on December 18, 2025

Two dozen top artificial intelligence companies have signed on to join the federal government’s “Genesis Mission,” an effort by the Trump administration to boost the use of the emerging technology for scientific discovery and energy projects. OpenAI, Microsoft Corp., Nvidia Corp., Amazon Web Services and Alphabet Inc.’s Google were among the firms that have either already signed memorandums of understanding with the government, have existing projects with the Energy Department or national laboratories, or have expressed interest in joining the effort, according to a White House statement. The mission will harness the computing resources of the Energy Department’s national labs to tap federal datasets and enable more experiments utilizing AI, Michael Kratsios said at the time. He predicted the effort would help shorten the timeline for scientific discoveries. Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’

DOE Advances Investments in AI for Science

William Attardi on December 15, 2025

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)has announced over $320 million in investments to rapidly advance the Genesis Mission’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. These awards are in accordance with President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut and other DOE appropriations to advance “AI for science” initiatives at the DOE. The awards will begin building the integrated American Science and Security Platform, a discovery engine designed to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering investments within a decade. To view the full list of projects and awards, please click here. DOE Advances Investments in AI for Science – electrifiED

 

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”