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TechCrunch
23-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Trump's AI strategy trades guardrails for growth in race against China
The Trump administration published its much-anticipated AI Action Plan on Wednesday, a document that takes a sharp shift away from former President Biden's cautious approach to addressing the risks of AI, and instead barrels ahead with plans to build out AI infrastructure, cut red tape for tech companies, shore up national security, and compete with China. The downstream effects of this shift will likely ripple throughout various industries and may even be felt by the average American consumer. For instance, the AI Action Plan downplays efforts to mitigate possible harms of AI and instead prioritizes building out data centers to power the AI industry, even if it means using federal lands or keeping them powered during critical energy grid periods. Much of its effects, however, will depend on how the AI Action Plan is executed, and many of those details have yet to be sorted. The AI Action Plan is more blueprint for action than a step-by-step instruction book. But the direction is clear: progress is king. The Trump administration positions this as the only way to 'usher in a new golden age of human flourishing.' Its goal is to convince the American public that spending billions of taxpayer dollars on building data centers is in their best interest. Parts of the plan also include policy suggestions around upskilling workers and partnering with local governments to create jobs related to working in data centers. 'To secure our future, we must harness the full power of American innovation,' Trump said in a statement. 'To do that, we will continue to reject radical climate dogma and bureaucratic red tape, as the Administration has done since Inauguration Day. Simply put, we need to 'Build, Baby, Build!'' The AI Action Plan is authored by the Trump administration's team of technology and AI specialists, many of whom come from Silicon Valley companies. This includes Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Marco Rubio. More than 10,000 interest groups submitted public comments that were considered for the plan. Deregulation and bringing back the AI moratorium At the start of this month, the Senate removed a controversial provision in the budget bill that would bar states from regulating AI for 10 years. That provision, if it had been included in the bill, would tie states' federal broadband funding to compliance with the moratorium. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW It appears that matter hasn't been put to rest yet, as the AI Action Plan explores a new way to hinder states from regulating AI. As part of a broader mission to 'unleash prosperity through deregulation,' the administration threatens to limit states' federal funding based on their AI regulations. The plan also directs the Federal Communications Commission to 'evaluate whether state AI regulations interfere with the agency's ability to carry out its obligations and authorities.' In other words, if state AI regulations touch on radio, TV, and internet – which many do – then the FCC can get involved. On the federal level, the action plan directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to ask businesses and the public about any current federal regulations that hinder AI innovation and adoption so that federal agencies can take appropriate action. Cutting red tape around data centers Trump's call for deregulation extends to how the administration hopes to accelerate the buildout of AI-related infrastructure, like data centers, semiconductor fabs, and power sources. The administration argues that existing environmental regulations – like NEPA, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act — are hindering America's need to meet the rapid demands of the AI arms race. That's why Trump's AI Action Plan places an emphasis on stabilizing America's energy grid. At the same time, the plan asks the federal government to find new ways to ensure large power consumers — such as AI companies — can manage their power consumption during critical grid periods. Certain companies, like xAI and Meta, have been criticized for concentrating pollution in vulnerable communities. Critics have accused xAI of bypassing environmental safeguards and exposing residents to harmful emissions from gas-powered turbines with its Memphis data center. The action plan calls for creating categorical exclusions, streamlining permitting processes, and expanding the use of fast-track programs like FAST-41 to make it easier for companies to build critical AI infrastructure, especially on federal lands, which includes National Parks, federally protected wilderness areas, as well as military bases. Tying back to other Trump themes of beating China, the strategy focuses on locking out foreign tech and emphasizing security protections to keep 'adversarial technology' – like Chinese-made chips and hardware – out of the U.S. supply chain. Trump's war on 'biased AI' One of the main standouts in Trump's AI Action plan is a focus on protecting free speech and 'American values,' in part by eliminating references to misinformation, DEI, and climate change from federal risk assessment frameworks. 'It is essential that these systems be built from the ground up with freedom of speech and expression in mind, and that U.S. government policy does not interfere with that objective,' the plan reads. 'We must ensure that free speech flourishes in the era of AI and that AI procured by the Federal government objectively reflects truth rather than social engineering agendas.' Despite the intention to ensure that government policy doesn't interfere with freedom of speech, the AI Action Plan has the potential to do just that. One of the recommended policy actions is to update federal procurement guidelines to ensure the government only contracts with frontier large language model developers who 'ensure their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias.' That language is similar to what The Wall Street Journal reported would be in Trump's executive order, which he is expected to be released later today. The problem is that achieving objectivity is hard, and the government has not yet defined how it plans to evaluate models on the basis of neutrality. 'The only way to be neutral would be literal non-engagement,' Rumman Chowdhury, a data scientist, CEO of the tech nonprofit Humane Intelligence, and former U.S. science envoy for AI, told TechCrunch. Anthopric, xAI, Google, and OpenAI have all secured government contracts worth up to $200 million each to help integrate AI applications into the Department of Defense. The implications of Trump's policy suggestion, and his impending executive order, could be far-reaching. 'For instance, an order that says, 'We won't do any business, as to AI models or otherwise, with any company that produces a non-neutral AI model' would likely violate the First Amendment,' Eugene Volokh, an American legal scholar who specializes in First Amendment and Second Amendment issues, said in an email. 'An order that says, 'We will only enter into contracts to buy models that are sufficiently neutral' would be more constitutionally defensible, though of course implementing it effectively may be very difficult (partly because it's so hard to know what's 'neutral' in these situations).' He added: 'If the order instructs agencies to select AIs based on a combination of accuracy and neutrality, leaving each agency with some latitude to decide what that means, that might be more viable.' Encouraging an open approach to AI Trump's AI Action Plan aims to encourage the development and adoption of open AI models, which are free to download online, that are created with American values in mind. This largely seems to be a reaction to the rise of open AI models from Chinese AI labs, including DeepSeek and Alibaba's Qwen. As part of his plan, Trump wants to ensure that startups and researchers working on open models have access to large computing clusters. These resources are expensive, and typically were only possible for tech companies that could strike million or billion-dollar contracts with cloud providers. Trump also says he wants to partner with leading AI model developers to increase the research community's access to private AI models and data. American AI companies and organizations that have taken an open approach — including Meta, AI2, and Hugging Face — could benefit from Trump's embrace of open AI. AI safety and security Trump's AI Action Plan includes some provisions to satisfy the AI safety community. One of those efforts includes launching a federal technological development program to research AI interpretability, AI control systems, and adversarial robustness. Trump's plan also instructs federal agencies including the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to host hackathons to test its AI systems for security vulnerabilities. Trump's plan also acknowledges the risks of AI systems to contribute to cyberattacks, as well as the development of chemical and biological weapons. The plan asks frontier AI model developers to work with federal agencies to evaluate these risks, and how they could jeopardize America's national security. Compared to Biden's AI executive order, Trump's plan puts less of a focus on requiring leading AI model developers to report safety and security standards. Many tech companies claim safety and security reporting is an 'onerous' task, which Trump seems to want to limit. Limiting China Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump is bringing his war on China into the AI race with his action plan. A large part of Trump's AI Action Plan focuses on preventing 'national security' threats from accessing advanced AI technology. Under Trump's plan, federal agencies will work together to collect intelligence on foreign frontier AI projects that could threaten American national security. In one of those efforts, the Department of Commerce is tasked with evaluating Chinese AI models for alignment with Chinese Communist Party talking points and censorship. These groups will also conduct assessments on the level of AI adoption among America's adversaries. National security 'National security' was included 23 times in the AI Action Plan – more than data centers, jobs, science, and other key terms. The plan's national security strategy is centered on integrating AI into the U.S. defense and intelligence apparatus, and even building out AI data centers for the DoD, while guarding against foreign threats. Among other things, the plan calls for the DOD and intelligence community to regularly assess how AI adoption in the U.S. compares to rivals like China and adapt accordingly, and to evaluate risks posed by both domestic and adversary AI systems. Within the DOD itself, the strategy emphasizes upskilling the military workforce, automating workflows, and securing preferential access to compute resources during national emergencies.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BP abandons US wind farms as Trump shuns green energy
BP is selling its US wind farm business as Donald Trump steps up his attacks on green energy. The FTSE 100 oil company said New York-based LS Power would buy BP Wind Energy North America, which has 10 operating onshore wind farms across the country. The move is part of BP's plans to pivot back to its core oil and gas business in the hope of boosting its share price. The company has come under intense pressure from shareholders, including activist Elliott Adviers, to improve performance. The exit from US wind also comes amid President Trump's latest assault on the renewables industry. This week he announced that decisions related to solar and wind energy projects on federal lands will in future have to be approved by interior secretary Doug Burgum. President Trump said the aim was to end what he calls preferential treatment for renewable energy sources, in line with his pledge to undo the clean energy and climate change policies of former president Joe Biden. 'Today's actions further deliver on President Trump's promise to tackle the green new scam and protect the American taxpayers' dollars,' Adam Suess, acting assistant secretary for lands and minerals management, said on Thursday. Mr Trump has long been critical of turbines, derisively calling them 'windmills'. He said in 2019: 'I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. They're noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You'll see more birds than you've ever seen in your life.' In 2023, he said: 'Windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before. No one does anything about that.' Earlier this week, Mr Trump told the BBC that Aberdeen was 'the oil capital of Europe' and should 'get rid of the windmills'. Market responds positively to wind exit BP's move will therefore be seen as politically astute as well as fitting with its plan to divest $20bn worth of assets by 2027. Its shares rose by about 2pc soon after the Friday morning announcement. The US deal is expected to conclude by the end of the year, with BP suggesting it will have divested itself of $3-4bn of assets by then, with $1.5bn signed or completed to that date. Earlier this month it agreed to sell its 300 Dutch petrol stations to Dutch fuel distribution and trading company Catom by the end of this year. It sold its Turkish petrol station network in 2023 and a sale process for its Austrian retail network is ongoing. William Lin, BP vice-president for gas & low carbon energy, said: 'The onshore US wind business has great assets and fantastic people, but we have concluded we are no longer the best owners to take it forward. 'I am pleased we have reached a mutually beneficial deal with LS Power and I look forward to working with them to support our people in maintaining safe and reliable operations as we transition ownership.' Paul Segal, chief executive of LS Power, said: 'These new assets will expand our renewable energy presence and help to meet growing energy demand across the US.' Solar and wind accounted for the vast majority of new electricity generation added to the US grid last year despite President Trump's claims that they are unreliable and expensive. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
E&E News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Interior's new solar, wind policy sparks concerns of ‘shadow ban'
A new policy requiring the Interior secretary to approve all aspects of solar and wind project permitting has opened the floodgates for critics who say it's the clearest signal yet that green energy is not part of President Donald Trump's energy dominance agenda. It has also prompted pushback from supporters who say the new policy is a long-overdue move to level the regulatory playing field following four years of the Biden administration prioritizing renewable energy development on federal lands. Prominent Democrats, conservation groups and renewable energy trade groups all bashed the new policy, outlined in an Interior Department memorandum that directs the Interior secretary to review everything from the initial decision to begin a formal evaluation of a solar or wind project application, to the issuance of a record of decision approving it. Advertisement The Trump administration, in formally announcing the new policy Thursday, said it complies with a handful of presidential orders signed by Trump that are designed to reduce barriers to energy production. It also will help ensure projects conform with the administration's energy policies and goals.
Telegraph
18-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
BP abandons US wind farms as Trump shuns green energy
BP is selling its US wind farm business as Donald Trump steps up his attacks on green energy. The FTSE 100 oil company said New York-based LS Power would buy BP Wind Energy North America, which has 10 operating onshore wind farms across the country. The move is part of BP's plans to pivot back to its core oil and gas business in the hope of boosting its share price. The company has come under intense pressure from shareholders, including activist Elliott Adviers, to improve performance. The exit from US wind also comes amid President Trump's latest assault on the renewables industry. This week he announced that decisions related to solar and wind energy projects on federal lands will in future have to be approved by interior secretary Doug Burgum. President Trump said the aim was to end what he calls preferential treatment for renewable energy sources, in line with his pledge to undo the clean energy and climate change policies of former president Joe Biden. 'Today's actions further deliver on President Trump's promise to tackle the green new scam and protect the American taxpayers' dollars,' Adam Suess, acting assistant secretary for lands and minerals management, said on Thursday. Mr Trump has long been critical of turbines, derisively calling them 'windmills'. He said in 2019: 'I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. They're noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You'll see more birds than you've ever seen in your life.' In 2023, he said: 'Windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before. No one does anything about that.' Earlier this week, Mr Trump told the BBC that Aberdeen was 'the oil capital of Europe' and should 'get rid of the windmills'. Market responds positively to wind exit BP's move will therefore be seen as politically astute as well as fitting with its plan to divest $20bn worth of assets by 2027. Its shares rose by about 2pc soon after the Friday morning announcement. The US deal is expected to conclude by the end of the year, with BP suggesting it will have divested itself of $3-4bn of assets by then, with $1.5bn signed or completed to that date. Earlier this month it agreed to sell its 300 Dutch petrol stations to Dutch fuel distribution and trading company Catom by the end of this year. It sold its Turkish petrol station network in 2023 and a sale process for its Austrian retail network is ongoing. William Lin, BP vice-president for gas & low carbon energy, said: 'The onshore US wind business has great assets and fantastic people, but we have concluded we are no longer the best owners to take it forward. 'I am pleased we have reached a mutually beneficial deal with LS Power and I look forward to working with them to support our people in maintaining safe and reliable operations as we transition ownership.' Paul Segal, chief executive of LS Power, said: 'These new assets will expand our renewable energy presence and help to meet growing energy demand across the US.'
Washington Post
17-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Interior Secretary Burgum must personally approve all wind and solar projects, a new order says
WASHINGTON — All solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters must be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum under a new order that authorizes him to conduct 'elevated review' of activities ranging from leases to rights of way, construction and operational plans, grants and biological opinions. The enhanced oversight on clean-energy projects is aimed at 'ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy,' the Interior Department said in a statement Thursday. The order 'will ensure all evaluations are thorough and deliberative' on potential projects on millions of acres of federal lands and offshore areas, the department said. Clean-energy advocates said the action could hamstring projects that need to be underway quickly to qualify for federal tax credits that are set to expire under the tax-cut and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4. The law phases out credits for wind, solar and other renewable energy while enhancing federal support for fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. 'At a time when energy demand is skyrocketing, adding more layers of bureaucracy and red tape for energy projects at the Interior Department is exactly the wrong approach,'' said Stephanie Bosh, senior vice president of the Solar Energy Industries Association. 'There's no question this directive is going to make it harder to maintain our global (artificial intelligence) leadership and achieve energy independence here at home.'' In the legislation, Trump and GOP lawmakers moved to dismantle the 2022 climate law passed by Democrats under President Joe Biden. And on July 7, Trump signed an executive order that further restricts subsidies for what he called 'expensive and unreliable energy policies from the Green New Scam.' That order was part of a deal the Republican president made with conservative House Republicans who were unhappy that the tax-cut bill did not immediately end all subsidies for clean energy. A group of Republican senators, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Utah Sen. John Curtis, had pushed to delay phaseout of some of the credits to allow currently planned projects to continue. Trump has long expressed disdain for wind power , describing it at a Cabinet meeting last week as an expensive form of energy that 'smart' countries do not use. Even with the changes approved by the Senate, the new law will likely crush growth in the wind and solar industry and lead to a spike in Americans' utility bills, Democrats and environmental groups say. The law jeopardizes hundreds of renewable energy projects intended to boost the nation's electric grid as demand is set to rise amid sharp growth from data centers, artificial intelligence and other uses, they said. 'This isn't oversight. It's obstruction that will needlessly harm the fastest growing sources of electric power,'' said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, an industry group. He called the move 'particularly confounding' as lawmakers in both parties seek to streamline permitting for all sources of American energy. The Interior Department said Thursday that Burgum's order will 'level the playing field for dispatchable, cost-effective and secure energy sources,' such as coal and natural gas 'after years of assault under the previous administration.″ 'American energy dominance is driven by U.S.-based production of reliable baseload energy, not regulatory favoritism towards unreliable energy projects that are solely dependent on taxpayer subsidies and foreign-sourced equipment,' said Adam Suess, the acting assistant secretary for lands and minerals management. While Democrats complain the tax law will make it harder to get renewable energy to the electric grid, Republicans say it supports production of traditional energy sources such as oil, gas and coal, as well as nuclear power, increasing reliability. In the Senate compromise, wind and solar projects that begin construction within a year of the law's enactment are allowed to get a full tax credit without a deadline for when the projects are 'placed in service,″ or plugged into the grid. Wind and solar projects that begin later must be placed in service by the end of 2027 to get a credit. The law retains incentives for technologies such as advanced nuclear, geothermal and hydropower through 2032. About 10% of new solar power capacity under development is on federal lands, said Sylvia Leyva Martínez, a principal analyst at the Wood Mackenzie research firm. Those projects could be delayed or canceled if Burgum does not issue permits for them, she said. Related projects such as transmission lines could be affected, too, she said. While only about 1% of the combined capacity of pending wind projects are on federal lands, delays could affect nearby infrastructure that supports renewable projects, said Wood Mackenzie analyst Diego Espinosa. ____ Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
