The 2025 Zero Gravity Summit opens in Salt Lake City at the Salt Palace, convening nearly 3,000 leaders across aerospace, defense, energy, and technology. Speakers, including Governor Cox, Greg Levesque and Nikki Haley, highlight Utah’s innovation, energy leadership, and the urgent global tech race.
Salt Lake City, Utah - November 4, 2025
The 2025 Zero Gravity Summit officially opened today at the Salt Palace Convention Center, bringing together nearly 3,000 leaders in national security, aerospace, energy, technology, venture capital, academia, and government. Hosted by 47G | Utah Aerospace & Defense, the Summit has quickly become one of the nation’s most influential gatherings for advancing innovation that protects America’s security, energy independence, and global leadership.
“Our diverse participation from universities, companies, and government is calling into the nation’s premier ecosystem for aerospace and defense companies—and that’s all coming together with 47G leading the way,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “In Utah, our mantra is ‘built here.’ That’s what we’re doing. We’re building again. We understand what it’s going to take for the next generation of our citizens to inherit the greatest nation in the history of the world.”
Aaron Starks, President and CEO of 47G, opened the Summit by connecting Utah’s pioneer heritage to today’s innovation:
“Our Pioneer ancestors had the foresight to build here, and the tenacity to persevere through hard times—they created the foundation that we now all stand on. We started to get innovative, creative, and work with what we had. We always build."
“Utah is the number one economy in the United States with 330,000 small businesses, and we speak more languages per capita than any other state. Utahns are competing on the world stage, contributing to global supply chains with companies generating 50–100 million in revenue—many you’ve never heard of," Starks added.
This year’s Summit features nearly 100 hands-on exhibits and a powerhouse lineup of speakers, including Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, who spoke today, and Jen Easterly, former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, speaking tomorrow. Additional speakers include Brad Wilson, CEO of the Salt Lake City–Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games; Dmytro Kushneruk, Consul General of Ukraine; and senior officials from the U.S. Department of Defense, global energy executives, space innovators, and national security strategists.
Governor Cox highlighted in his opening remarks Utah’s leadership in energy development as a foundation for innovation and national security:
“We recognized years ago that AI infrastructure would require an exponential increase in energy production. Here in Utah, we’re focusing on an all-of-the-above strategy so companies can expand right here and citizens can enjoy reduced power bills.”
“We are all in when it comes to nuclear. We’re leading Nuclear 2.0—the revolution happening here in our country. This isn’t just about nuclear reactors; it’s about the entire supply chain, from beginning to end of life, and we can do it right here in Utah.”
Summit Tracks and Highlights
The 2025 Summit explores four interconnected tracks essential to preserving U.S. leadership in a contested global landscape:
“If you were to remove aerospace and defense from Northern Utah’s economy, some economists predict it would take 20 years to recover,” Starks noted. “Hill Air Force Base alone employs 35,000 civilians and supports $4 billion in payroll outside the base—amazing work that continues to grow.”
“Ahead of the 2034 Olympics, we’re building the nation’s first operable Air Mobility ecosystem, connecting Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, and Provo with air taxis and parcel delivery,” Starks said. “This year, we signed a historic MOU with Beta Technologies, prioritizing Utah as a hub for next-generation air mobility.”
“The race for space represents the greatest national security imperative that we have as the United States,” Starks emphasized.
Keynote: Greg Levesque on the Tech Race
Greg Levesque, CEO and Co-Founder of Strider, framed the Summit in the context of a global technology competition:
“We are in the middle of a tech race that is no different than the Industrial Revolution was 100 plus years ago. It is happening right now, and that future is up for grabs.”
Levesque emphasized the role of industry and academia in national security:
“National security is not for the government alone. It requires all of us to do it together. Industry is now on the front lines. Companies are engaged in a geopolitical game that will determine the future that we all live in.”
He also highlighted the emerging threat of intellectual property theft and digital targeting:
“We are witnessing an economic espionage tsunami hitting industry and academia right now. Our adversaries are harvesting data, building digital twins of our systems, and using them to target us. Companies must now understand their role in defending innovation and freedom.”
On the transformative power of AI and emerging technologies:
“AI, quantum technology, and biotechnology are frontier innovations with no global leader yet—but whoever applies them fastest at scale will lead the future.”
“New technologies deserve new paradigms, and new paradigms deserve new governance constructs. This is the pattern that has occurred throughout history—and we are in another one today.”
Levesque concluded with a call to action for attendees:
“As we think about the technologies discussed here, we must ask: what is my role in a national security response to these threats? How should my business and organization operate within that context?”
Featured Exhibits
Attendees were able to experience immersive demonstrations, including:
“Utah is proud to lead in so many directions, and we’re doing it because of the people in this room,” Governor Cox said. “Thank you for being the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow. Keep up the good work, and may God bless you in this effort.”
The 2025 Zero Gravity Summit builds on last year’s sold-out success, arriving at a pivotal moment as geopolitical tensions, energy security, and technological competition define America’s future. Utah’s rapidly growing aerospace and defense ecosystem, backed by $6.1 billion in annual U.S. Department of Defense contracts, provides the perfect backdrop for advancing the technologies that matter most to America’s security and economic resilience.
For more information and to register for the final day of the summit, November 5th, visit: zerogravitysummit.com
