Major American tech companies are promoting the idea of turning Greenland into a so-called "freedom city", where favorable conditions for the development of innovative projects will be provided through minimal state regulation of business activities, reported Reuters, citing its sources.
Technology giants from Silicon Valley want to turn Greenland into a center for the development of artificial intelligence, unmanned vehicles, space technologies, small modular reactors and high-speed railways. Discussion of this idea is at an early stage.
At the same time, according to sources of the agency, businessman Ken Howery, nominated by US leader Donald Trump for the post of US ambassador to Denmark, who, if his candidacy is approved, is expected to lead negotiations on the acquisition of Greenland, takes the initiative of American corporations quite seriously.
Silicon Valley companies have long spoken about the need to create cities with low levels of state regulation of business in order to encourage innovation both in the United States and abroad. Trump also supported the idea during his 2023 election campaign.
On March 13, the US president expressed confidence that his country would annex Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. On March 4, he said he would support the islanders' decision to join the United States.
The US president has previously said several times that Greenland should join the United States. He has threatened to impose high trade tariffs on Denmark unless it gives up the island. Already during his first term as president, Trump proposed buying Greenland. The Danish and Greenlandic authorities rejected this idea.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their commitments to the NATO alliance, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. In accordance with it, the United States undertook to defend the island from aggression.