It’s a busy week in Washington as lawmakers explore the growing impact of AI—from its role in K-12 education to its power demands and implications for global competition. Cybersecurity also takes center stage, with hearings on local infrastructure, legacy medical devices, and telecom threats. In the private sector, Amazon unveils a promising new AI agent, the Trump family expands further into crypto, and Elon Musk continues to consolidate his AI empire. Plus, proposed cuts to a long-standing federal lab are raising quiet concerns among scientists and industry leaders alike. Catch up on the latest developments shaping tech policy and innovation in this week’s Nimitz Tech!

In this week’s Nimitz Tech:

• CHIPS: Trump’s budget cuts may shutter a tiny lab that quietly powers everything from space telescopes to the chips in your phone.

• Agents: Amazon just revealed its secret weapon in the AI race — and it's all about building smarter, more reliable software agents.

• AI: A Saudi-based digital alliance wants the Global South to help shape the AI rules — not just follow them.

WHO’S HAVING EVENTS THIS WEEK?

Tuesday, April 1st

• 💻️ House Hearing: “Cybersecurity is Local Too: Assessing the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.” House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection. Hearing scheduled for 10:00 AM in 310 Cannon HOB. Watch here.

• ⚡️ House Hearing: “Americas AI Moonshot: The Economics of AI Data Centers and Power Consumption.” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs. Hearing scheduled for 10:00 AM in 2247 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

• 🎒 House Hearing: "From Chalkboards to Chatbots: The Impact of AI on K-12 Education." House Committee on Education and Workforce, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Hearing scheduled for 10:15 AM in 2175 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

• 🏥 House Hearing: “Aging Technology Emerging Threats: Examining Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Legacy Medical Devices.” Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Hearing scheduled for 10:30 AM in 2322 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

• 🧑‍💻 Senate Hearing: “Big Fixes for Big Tech.” Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. Hearing scheduled for 2:30 PM in 226 Dirksen SOB. Watch here.

Wednesday, April 2nd

• ⚖️ House Hearing: “Hearing: Artificial Intelligence: Examining Trends in Innovation and Competition” House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust. Hearing scheduled for 10:00APM in 2141 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

• 📞 House Hearing: “Salt Typhoon: Securing Americas Telecommunications from State-Sponsored Cyber Attacks.” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs. Hearing scheduled for 10: AM in HVC-210 CAPITOL. Watch here.

TECH NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

In Washington

• Michael Kratsios, a longtime tech policy aide and former Thiel deputy, was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy amid escalating U.S.-China competition over artificial intelligence. Returning to government after a stint at Scale AI, Kratsios takes the helm just as the Trump administration ramps up export controls on Chinese firms and drafts a new national AI strategy, replacing Biden-era policies with a more aggressive approach. Tasked with coordinating agencies on issues from quantum computing to AI safety standards, Kratsios brings experience from his earlier roles in the Trump administration, including at the Defense Department and in global tech diplomacy. With allies like David Sacks and Sriram Krishnan in key roles, and critics warning of slowed innovation due to Trump’s budget cuts, Kratsios is navigating a high-stakes environment where AI leadership is central to national security.

• Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. announced their latest crypto venture: a Bitcoin mining company called American Bitcoin, formed through a merger with mining giant Hut 8. The deal gives Hut 8 an 80% stake and leaves 20% in the hands of American Data Centers Inc., which includes the Trump sons as investors; Eric Trump is listed as co-founder and chief strategy officer. This marks the third major crypto initiative tied to the Trump family in the past year, following the launch of a stablecoin and memecoins by Donald and Melania Trump. Critics say these ventures represent unprecedented presidential conflicts of interest, especially as Donald Trump, once a crypto skeptic, now champions pro-crypto policies and envisions the U.S. as a global leader in digital assets.

• The Trump administration plans to shut down the Atomic Spectroscopy Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a lab vital to advanced chipmaking, medical devices, and even space exploration. The group, which has operated for over 120 years, maintains the global gold standard for atomic spectral measurements—essential for calibrating technologies like telescopes, oximeters, and ultraviolet chip etching tools. Though the lab costs little to run, its closure would create widespread disruption, forcing scientists and engineers worldwide to waste time recreating data that NIST currently provides through a centralized database used tens of thousands of times monthly. As thousands of researchers, including Nobel laureates, rally to save the lab, critics warn the cuts will damage both innovation and U.S. technological competitiveness.

National

• Elon Musk announced that his AI startup, xAI, has acquired his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in an all-stock deal that values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion, factoring in $12 billion in debt. The merger solidifies the integration of Musk’s two high-profile ventures, combining their data, infrastructure, and teams under a new holding company, xAI Holdings Corp. While X and xAI were already closely linked—especially through xAI’s chatbot Grok—the acquisition gives xAI a powerful edge in AI development, leveraging X’s massive user base and data trove for training. The move comes as Musk escalates his rivalry with OpenAI, even attempting a $97 billion takeover, and underscores his strategy of consolidating influence across AI, social media, and beyond.

• Amazon’s AGI SF Lab, led by former OpenAI executive David Luan, unveiled its first major project: Nova Act, an advanced AI model designed to power decision-making software agents that outperform rivals from OpenAI and Anthropic on key benchmarks. The model is a reinforced version of Amazon’s Nova, trained to act with better judgment and timing, and represents the company’s push beyond flashy demos toward dependable, real-world utility. Drawing from robotics research and collaboration with AI pioneer Pieter Abbeel, Amazon is applying lessons from physical robots to improve digital agents — including powering new capabilities in Alexa. Alongside the model, Amazon released a developer SDK to accelerate agent-based applications, signaling that it may be a serious, if late-blooming, contender in the AI agent arms race.

International

• Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Riyadh-based Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), emphasized the need for Global South countries to have a stronger voice in shaping global digital and AI policies, which are currently dominated by tech giants and powerful nations. With 16 member states representing 800 million people, the DCO is drafting an AI treaty focused not just on ethics but also on infrastructure, capacity-building, and practical implementation, and is in talks with the Council of Europe and African Union. The organization aims to tackle challenges like misinformation, data sovereignty, and uneven tech investment by aligning member strategies, developing digital maturity tools, and facilitating investment through global partnerships. AlYahya stressed the importance of balanced, adaptable tech adoption that prioritizes member interests while engaging with the broader digital economy.

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