Trump gives National Medal of Science to Jensen Huang, Musk, Brin and Lisa Su and confirms $2.4B AI research investment, while green card processing at Microsoft and Adobe is halted (report)

What happened

According to AI Times, President Trump awarded the National Medal of Science to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and AMD CEO Lisa Su at an event in Washington, D.C. on the 8th (local time). At the same event, he also confirmed a $2.4 billion (about 3.2 trillion won) AI research investment. The report said this comes alongside a conflict-of-interest controversy over purchases of shares in benefiting companies just before policy announcements, a halt to visa issuance, and pressure in the form of AI safety audits. A separate report citing Reuters and others said the administration has halted green card processing for foreign workers at major tech companies including Microsoft and Adobe. Vice President JD Vance criticized Microsoft for making heavy use of H-1B visas and green cards while laying off about 6,000 American employees last year.

Provider claims

The administration cited protecting American jobs and preventing abuse of the work visa system as reasons for halting green card processing.

Why it matters

The US government is investing in and honoring the AI industry while also pressuring it through foreign-talent visa restrictions and safety audits. This could directly affect how Big Tech hires talent from abroad and manages its research workforce.

Sources

• Press 트럼프, 빅테크에 훈장 수여·주식 매수...이면엔 ‘비자 규제·안전 압박’ AI Times (Korea)
• Press 미국, 외국인 노동자 단속 강화…MS·어도비 영주권 신청 중단 AI Times (Korea)