President Joe Biden signed an executive order Jan. 14 aimed at boosting construction of infrastructure for artificial intelligence on federal land.
“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future,” Biden said in a statement.
The order directs the Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Energy to identify at least three sites each on federal land they manage that could be leased out to host AI data centers. It also directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to identify sites it manages that could be used to develop clean energy generation to power the data centers on federal land.
After selecting sites, the agencies will start a competitive process for proposals from companies that want to build and operate data centers. The order sets a goal of beginning construction by the start of 2026 for operations beginning by the end of 2027.
The order also sets requirements for interested developers. They will need to bring enough clean energy generation online to fully power their data centers, possibly using BLM land. Developers will also need to pay all the costs of the AI and energy infrastructure in order to avoid raising electricity prices for consumers.
Developers will additionally have to plan “to use high labor standards that help ensure continuous and high-quality work,” Biden's statement continued, such as by using a project labor agreement and paying prevailing wages. There is also a requirement for the data center owners to use “an appropriate share” of semiconductors produced domestically.
To help hasten the development, the federal agencies must begin site environmental reviews ahead of project selection, enhance the permitting process for geothermal projects, advance siting of clean energy sources at existing grid interconnection points and support development of nuclear energy, the order states. It also directs the agencies to work with manufacturers of equipment such as transformers to ensure a sufficient supply is available for the projects, and to work with utilities to help get the infrastructure interconnected to the electric grid.
“This renewed partnership between the government and industry will ensure that the United States will continue to lead the age of AI,” Biden said in his statement.
