Trump has repeatedly pledged U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market, and Pennsylvania – a swing state critical to his wins in 2016 and 2024 – is at the forefront of that agenda.

People set up fencing outside of Carnegie Mellon University’s Cohon University Center in preparation for hosting the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit on July 14, in Oakland. Protests were planned around President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Tuesday’s summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)

The inaugural Energy and Innovation Summit 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.

Carnegie Mellon University's Zico Kolter said the summit will highlight the influence western Pennsylvania has in this space.

The funding sets a new record for private sector funding in the commonwealth, surpassing Amazon’s $20 billion pledge last month.

U.S. Sen. David McCormick kicked off the summit on artificial intelligence and energy by pledging to unveil tens of billions of dollars in investment while staking Pennsylvania’s claim on leading the two industries.