Chapter 752 - 351: New Conditions

"The State Government is taking over a nuclear power plant?"

Kevin Scott opened the file, his brow furrowed.

’This was beyond his comprehension.’

"Mayor Wallace, I admit the terms you’re offering are very tempting, but this sounds... difficult to implement."

Kevin closed the file and looked at Leo.

"Restarting a nuclear plant requires a massive amount of capital, not to mention administrative support. Even though you have considerable power in Pennsylvania, bypassing the Federation’s cumbersome approval process and securing the funds is a nearly impossible task."

"That depends on how badly you want to win this AI arms race."

Leo sat back down, drumming his fingers lightly on the desk.

"As for the funding, I already have a solution. The Saint Claude Family will provide the initial capital."

"Regarding administrative approval, the Governor of Pennsylvania will fast-track this project. As for resistance from environmental groups, I’ll have the Unions handle them."

"And in Washington, I have the support of the Democratic Party."

Leo’s gaze was sharp as he looked at the two men.

"I can give you absolutely stable, zero-carbon nuclear power."

"But I have one condition."

Leo’s tone became intensely pressuring.

"The data center you build in Pennsylvania can’t just be a few racks of servers in the middle of nowhere. I don’t want a power hog that does nothing but consume electricity and can be managed by a handful of security guards."

"Then what do you want?" Kevin asked.

"I want you to establish your AI application R&D headquarters here."

Leo laid out his terms.

He didn’t want pure infrastructure that only generated tax revenue without creating high-end jobs.

He wanted to plant the seeds of high technology in this industrial wasteland.

"But Pennsylvania..."

"We have Carnegie Mellon University."

Leo could see their hesitation.

"It’s one of the top computer science schools in all of America, with the world’s best machine learning and robotics labs. The talent is right here."

"I want you to make use of that talent."

"I want you to create at least five thousand engineering positions in Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, with salaries of one hundred fifty thousand US Dollars or more per year. I want you to move your core algorithm R&D team here and integrate it with our industrial revival."

Leo’s voice grew passionate as he painted a grand vision.

"I want Pittsburgh to produce more than just steel, more than just mechanical equipment."

"I want it to produce algorithms. To produce the future."

"I want this place to become the first supercity in all of America to deeply integrate industry and artificial intelligence. And you will be the co-creators of this new era."

The study fell silent.

Kevin and David were not immediately swept up by this grand vision.

"Mayor Wallace, I must admit, your plan is incredibly ambitious." David adjusted his glasses, his tone calm. "However, we must face a practical problem."

"What problem?"

"The talent problem."

"Exactly," Kevin chimed in. "While Pittsburgh has Carnegie Mellon University, which is indeed a huge advantage, that’s all it has."

"In this industry, the competition for top talent is global."

"The geniuses graduating from MIT, Stanford, and Princeton will always choose sunny California or the financial hub of New York. At the very least, they’ll go for Seattle or Austin, which have mature tech ecosystems."

David spread his hands, speaking bluntly, "In their eyes, Pittsburgh is still just a cold, dilapidated Rust Belt city full of rusting steel."

"How are we supposed to convince a young person with an Ivy League degree to give up Silicon Valley stock options and an ocean-view house just to come here and breathe in coal dust?"

"Besides," Kevin added, "these five thousand positions are core assets in the AI field. We would have to invest enormous human capital costs."

"If, for whatever reason, we can’t recruit people, or if they come and don’t stay, this R&D center will become an expensive empty shell."

David raised another concern. "Then there’s the level of government support. We’ve seen too many local governments make extravagant promises to attract investment, only for the promised subsidies to shrink due to budget constraints or public opposition once the project is underway."

"What will the citizens of Pittsburgh, the unemployed steelworkers, think of high-paid programmers? Won’t they see it as a new form of inequality?"

"If that kind of social conflict erupts, the safety of our employees would become a problem."

Leo listened quietly, not angered by their skepticism.

On the contrary, he appreciated their pragmatic attitude.

"Your concerns are reasonable," Leo began. "Talent migration has its own inertia, and social friction is a real phenomenon. We can’t pretend these problems don’t exist."

He stood up and walked to the window.

"But it is precisely because there are problems that we need to solve them."

"Regarding attracting talent, I will push for legislation in the State Assembly to provide a ten-year personal income tax exemption for high-tech talent who move to Pittsburgh, along with substantial relocation bonuses."

"We will also build dedicated high-end communities for this talent, offering better and more affordable housing and resources than Silicon Valley."

"As for the city’s image, we are already transforming those abandoned steel mills into cutting-edge art districts and living spaces."

"For young people tired of Silicon Valley’s high housing prices and traffic congestion, this is a new, vibrant, and cost-effective option."

Leo turned around, his gaze resolute.

"Through the Industrial Revival Alliance, I will show the local workers that it is because of high-tech companies like yours that their factories can get more advanced automation equipment, and their children can have the opportunity to receive a better education locally."

"I will tie your interests and their interests together."

"As for your biggest concern—the level of government support." Leo walked back to the desk and picked up a pen. "We can write these terms into the contract. If the government defaults, you can pull your equipment out at any time."

"We can’t shy away just because there are difficulties." Leo looked at the two of them. "If you want to win the future, you have to be bold enough to cultivate a wasteland."

Kevin and David exchanged a glance.

They saw in Leo’s eyes an unyielding determination to see his goal through to the end.

"Alright." Kevin nodded. "If this can really be put into a contract, and the government can truly offer this level of support, then it’s certainly worth a try."

"I agree," David relented. "In fact, building AI centers next to energy sources is already a growing trend."

"If we can establish a closed-loop ecosystem here, it would be Google’s most important strategic move of the decade."

"We need to report this back to the board." David stood up. "But this is definitely a proposal we can’t ignore."

"I’ll be waiting for your good news." Leo extended his hand.

"Don’t celebrate just yet, Mr. Mayor."

Kevin said, "All of this is predicated on your ability to make the nuclear power project a reality."

David nodded. "Without the nuclear plant, all of this is just empty talk."

"The Three Mile Island restart project will absolutely happen."

Leo’s expression was firm.

"Because it is the will of the people."