Overview and legal basis
President Donald Trump established this version of PCAST in January 2025 through Executive Order 14177. The council advises the president on science, technology and innovation and can respond to requests from the president and its co-chairs. It is an advisory committee, not an agency with authority to approve semiconductor export licenses, adjudicate intelligence threats or award federal contracts.
Members and leadership
The White House announced the first private-sector appointees on March 25, 2026, including Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Lisa Su (AMD), Safra Catz, Michael Dell and others. David Sacks and Michael Kratsios serve as co-chairs. The current official roster can differ from the original appointment announcement and should be checked by date.
Under the order, membership may total up to 24 people. The council's current website says members serve without compensation. The precise conflict-of-interest treatment of a member depends on that person's legal appointment status; neither shared membership nor an advisory role alone proves a prohibited conflict. March 25 appointments · Current public membership
Authority and evidence limits
PCAST may recommend policies related to emerging technologies, public research, national security and the economy. Government agencies and the president separately exercise their own statutory authorities. The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, not PCAST, determines individual semiconductor export licenses under the applicable rules.
To establish that an industry member influenced a specific decision, researchers would need a dated recommendation, relevant communications, administrative action and a supportable link between them. Membership, commercial interests or a meeting invitation do not themselves establish a favor, a violation of ethics law or a directed policy outcome.
November 2026 meeting record
On November 6, the administration canceled a planned public PCAST session. A Federal Register notice published November 6 lists a rescheduled virtual meeting for November 13, 2026, noon–1 p.m. Eastern, with an agenda for board business and public comment. However, Reuters reported that the Energy Department later retracted its confirmation of that replacement date. As reviewed November 9, the November 13 session should not be treated as independently reconfirmed.
The notice says meeting minutes will be made available on the official OSTP PCAST webpage. No minutes for this canceled November 6 meeting were found on that page at review time; that does not imply that any meeting or documents were improperly withheld. The notice also describes PCAST responding to requests from the administration's Super Intelligence Force. Federal Register notice · Reuters reporting on retraction.
Timeline
- Executive order creates PCAST
President Trump establishes the advisory council.
- First members announced
White House names Jensen Huang and other technology executives, with David Sacks and Michael Kratsios as co-chairs.
- Public meeting canceled
Energy Department reports cancellation; formal notice proposes Nov. 13 as the replacement, while Reuters reports a later retraction of confirmation.
Documented relationships
Proven institutional membership is not proof that members coordinated their financial interests or approved a particular export license.