The Alliance for Critical Infrastructure (ACI) expanded its membership to nearly 50 companies across six U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including communications, energy, financial services, information technology, transportation, and water systems. The alliance said the expanded group will focus on strengthening physical and cyber resilience, identifying shared vulnerabilities, understanding cross-sector dependencies, securing critical supply chains, and supporting government efforts.
ACI said its work will include addressing cyber risks associated with large language models, developing strategies against evolving physical and cyberattacks, strengthening open-source software security, and promoting the secure adoption of LLMs with appropriate security and risk-management safeguards. The alliance also plans to share best practices and practical insights with critical infrastructure operators beyond its membership and develop response systems intended to support faster recovery following damaging cyber or physical attacks.
The expanded alliance will include CEOs from companies across all six sectors, with JPMorganChase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon serving as chairman of the board. ACI said establishing a CEO-level board strengthens its engagement with government and reflects the importance of infrastructure resilience to national security. The expansion builds on more than a decade of private-sector national security work conducted in collaboration with the government and the efforts of ACI’s nine founding members.
“The companies that operate critical infrastructure have unique operational expertise and a shared opportunity to help strengthen the systems Americans rely on every day,” Gordon Smith, ACI acting chief executive officer, said in a Wednesday statement. “ACI brings those companies together across sectors. We stand ready to support cross-industry efforts with practical experience, technical expertise and a cross-sector perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing critical infrastructure. ACI gives companies a way to learn from one another, share practical experience and work together on issues that affect multiple sectors.”
ACI members will include CEOs from companies representing each of the Alliance’s six lifeline sectors, including energy, information technology, communications, financial services, transportation systems, and water and wastewater.
In the Energy sector, the members are Bill Fehrman of American Electric Power, Michael Wirth of Chevron, Tim Cawley of Consolidated Edison, Harry Sideris of Duke Energy, Darren Woods of ExxonMobil, Pedro Pizarro of Edison International and Southern California Edison, John Ketchum of NextEra Energy, Chris Womack of Southern Company, and Bob Frenzel of Xcel Energy.
The Information Technology sector is represented by Andy Jassy of Amazon, John Ternus of Apple, Chuck Robbins of Cisco Systems, Michael Dell of Dell Technologies, Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Jensen Huang of NVIDIA. The Communications sector includes John Stankey of AT&T, Chris Winfrey of Charter Communications, Michael Angelakis of Comcast, Kate Johnson of Lumen Technologies, Srini Gopalan of T-Mobile, and Dan Schulman of Verizon.
The Financial Services sector has the largest group of members. They are Eric Andersen of AIG, Stephen J. Squeri of American Express, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, Robin Vince of BNY, Greg Abel of Berkshire Hathaway, Richard Fairbank of Capital One, Jane Fraser of Citi, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, and Jamie Dimon of JPMorganChase, who is listed as Chair. The group also includes Michael Miebach of Mastercard, Ted Pick of Morgan Stanley, Michael O’Grady of Northern Trust, Bill Demchak of PNC Bank, Ron O’Hanley of State Street, Ryan McInerney of Visa, and Charlie Scharf of Wells Fargo.
In the Transportation Systems sector, the members are Robert Isom of American Airlines, Ed Bastian of Delta Air Lines, Raj Subramaniam of FedEx, Scott Kirby of United Airlines, and Carol Tomé of UPS. The Water and Wastewater sector is represented by Marty Kropelnicki of California Water Service Group, Andrew Walters of H2O America, and Rob MacLean of Nexus.
“Strong public-private partnership has always been one of the country’s greatest strengths,” said Jamie Dimon, JPMorganChase chairman and chief executive officer, and ACI chairman of the board. “It is of utmost and immediate urgency that we come together to help protect our national security and all the people who depend on it.”
“For decades, we’ve built and secured the systems that millions of people and businesses rely on, and we’ve learned that the most resilient security comes from combining our deep technical expertise with close collaboration among industry partners and the government. That’s exactly what ACI does,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon chief executive officer.
“We find ourselves at an unprecedented moment of risk and opportunity. Only a well-organized and coordinated effort by like-minded and capable companies — committed to the best interests of their customers and employees — will successfully navigate these challenges,” said John Stankey, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer. “AT&T will fully support ACI’s efforts to improve public policy, strengthen security and resilience, and advance individual safety during this seminal AI transition.”
“As AI accelerates and cyber threats grow more sophisticated, the resilience of America’s critical infrastructure depends on trusted networks, secure technology and close collaboration across sectors,” said Chuck Robbins, Cisco Systems chair and chief executive officer. “No single company can address these challenges alone. ACI brings together operational experience, technology expertise and public-private partnership to help strengthen the systems our country relies on every day.”
“Simply put, this is the right thing to do,” said Jane Fraser, Citi chair and chief executive officer. “The American people deserve nothing less than for the private sector to do everything in our power to help protect our critical infrastructure and keep our country safe.”
“We are standing at the threshold of a profound technological shift that will reshape critical infrastructure, making deep collaboration essential to manage this disruption safely and responsibly,” added Rajesh Subramaniam, FedEx Corporation president and chief executive officer.
“AI has the potential to enhance the quality of life in America — our healthcare, our economy, and even our personal lives,” said David Solomon, Goldman Sachs chairman and chief executive officer. “To fully recognize these benefits, we must accelerate our investments and partner with the public sector to strengthen the country’s cyber and infrastructure security and resilience.”
“Southern Company is proud to be a founding member of the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure and to help advance a stronger, more resilient future for the systems Americans depend on every day,” said Southern Company chairman, president and chief executive officer, Chris Womack. “By bringing together operational expertise and a shared commitment to security, ACI creates an important platform to strengthen preparedness, address emerging cyber and physical risks, and support the reliable delivery of essential services to customers and communities across the country.”
The expansion of ACI builds upon a foundation of over a decade of private-sector national security work in collaboration with the government and advances the vision of ACI’s nine founding members, including JPMorganChase, Mastercard, AT&T, Lumen Technologies, AIG, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Consolidated Edison, Southern Company and Xcel Energy.
Further, the establishment of a CEO-level board broadens and deepens credibility and effectiveness of the group’s approach to national security; recognizes critical nature of infrastructure resilience; and fortifies ACI’s constructive engagement with the government.
