Biden Signs Executive Order to Boost AI Infrastructure on Federal Land

US issues executive order to build AI data centers on Govt land

The United States has issued an executive order allowing the use of government land for private sector companies to establish Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres and clean energy facilities to serve the AI industry. The White House took this decision hoping to meet AI's growing computational and energy needs and promote frontier AI development in the country. "These efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is responsible and respectful to local communities, and in a way that does not impose any new costs on American families," said President Joe Biden in a statement. The Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy must identify at least three sites each on federal land suitable for leasing to non-federal entities to build frontier AI data centers and clean energy facilities by 2027, with priority for completion by the end of 2025. They must also ensure minimal adverse effects on communities, the natural environment, and commercial resources. The Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM Director, must identify additional sites by March 15, 2025, in consultation with Defense, Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These sites will grant rights of way to private entities for clean energy facilities supporting the AI infrastructure. The Interior Secretary must ensure sufficient acreage exists for clean energy generation to meet the AI data centers' needs. By the same date, the Interior Secretary must also designate at least five Priority Geothermal Zones based on geothermal power potential, geological diversity, and other characteristics. The three Secretaries must make legal determinations about site availability for leasing or rights of way. Sites receive "cleared" status when the relevant Secretary confirms lease availability and authority. By March 31, 2025, the Defense and Energy Secretaries must launch public solicitations for non-federal entities to lease the cleared sites. The solicitations will include site coordinates, technical characteristics, and proximity details. Applicants must submit comprehensive plans covering construction timelines, financing, AI training operations, labor standards, and security measures. The solicitation period lasts 30 days. The Interior Secretary must publicise all cleared sites and relevant details by March 31, 2025. By June 30, 2025, the Defense and Energy Secretaries will announce winning proposals and grant them the opportunity to apply for necessary federal permits. The selection process requires consultation with the Attorney General regarding competition implications, with encouraged participation from the Federal Trade Commission Chair. The Secretaries must select at least one proposal from a consortium of small or medium-sized organizations if qualified submissions exist. The departments will provide technical assistance to smaller organizations during the proposal development process. Throughout the entire process, the Secretaries must ensure all decisions align with national security and public interest considerations while maintaining compliance with applicable laws. The Department of Energy will also work with utilities to connect the AI infrastructure built through this to program to the existing power grid. The program requires selected developers at DOD and DOE sites to bear all infrastructure costs to protect consumer electricity prices, accompanied by a comprehensive study on AI data centers' impact on electricity costs and DOE assistance to state utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs for large clean energy customers. The Department of State will engage international allies to develop AI infrastructure globally, focusing on advancing clean energy technologies like small modular nuclear reactors. The Executive Order establishes specific contractual requirements for AI developers using federal sites through DOD and DOE. Developers must fully fund all aspects of AI infrastructure construction, operation, and maintenance, including data centers, clean power facilities, and transmission infrastructure. They must also secure new clean energy generation resources that match their electricity and capacity requirements and prevent consumer price increases. The order mandates enhanced lab-security protocols and requires evaluations of AI models developed on federal sites to assess both security risks and potential national security benefits. Developers must maintain high labor standards, including prevailing wage requirements and positive labor-management relations, while also committing to purchase a designated portion of domestically manufactured semiconductors.

Biden to issue executive order to ensure power for AI data centres

The Biden administration's order aims to lease federal land for AI data centres and clean power facilities to meet growing power demands. It includes requirements for companies to buy US-made semiconductors and focuses on securing national security by restricting AI chip exports. The order also emphasises facilitating grid connections and transmission development.President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centres, the White House said. The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centres and new clean power facilities - to address enormous power needs on a short time frame. Biden said the order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." The order also requires companies tapping federal land for AI data centres to purchase an "appropriate share" of American-made semiconductors. The number of purchases required would be worked out on a case-by-case basis for each project and comes as the Biden administration is spending more than $30 billion to subsidize U.S. chip production. "It's really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States," White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted the volumes of computing power and electricity needed to train and operate frontier models - a term for the most advanced AI models available - "are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more." He said by around 2028 leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centres with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models. The Commerce Department said Monday it would further restrict AI chip and technology exports to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centres and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States," Chhabra said. Biden also wants agencies to facilitate interconnection to the electric grid, address permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites. Chhabra noted AI systems developed today are already "demonstrating really remarkable capabilities for military applications or potential use, including really significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks." He added ensuring domestic data centres "will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security."

Biden uses an executive order to open federal sites for AI

President Biden signed an executive order Tuesday designed to ensure that the AI industry will have plenty of compute and electrical power in the coming years by making federal lands available to expansive data centers and clean energy production facilities. Specifically, the order directs federal agencies to fast-track large-scale AI infrastructure projects on federal land, make more federal sites available for data center and energy production projects, as well as integrate the new infrastructure into the local power grid. Both the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense are to each find three sites within their holdings where private companies might be able to build AI data centers before running "competitive solicitations" from prospective builders on those sites. Recommended Videos The order isn't just a blank check for new AI projects; it imposes numerous safeguards and criteria on developers for how these projects can be built. These include requiring firms to pay for their facilities' construction, as well as provide sufficient "clean energy" capabilities to fully power the data centers once they come online. The race to achieve artificial general intelligence, the relentless drive to train ever larger language models in hopes the U.S. can beat out China for global leadership of the technology's development has caused the electrical and cooling requirements for AI data centers to skyrocket in recent years. A Department of Energy report from December estimated that data center electricity draws have tripled in the last 10 years and are on pace to as much as triple again by 2028. A new report from JLL doesn't paint a much rosier picture, the real estate management firm figures data center power demands will only double by 2029. What's more, current data center infrastructure tends to be geographically clustered, which strains local power grids, "distorting" how that power is delivered to customers and increasing the likelihood of brownouts. AI will have a "profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change," President Biden said in a prepared statement. "However, we cannot take our lead for granted. We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water."

President Biden signs executive order to open up federal land to speed up AI data center construction

Operators must also factor in clean energy and security measures US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to expedite the construction of data centers in the country. The order outlines a focus on the development of domestic AI infrastructure, as well as plans for how the White House intends to improve national security while also addressing environmental concerns like clean energy generation. Key to the order is that the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy must each identify three suitable sites for so-called "frontier AI data centers" by early 2025. The President described "frontier AI data centers" as facilities "capable of being used to develop, within a reasonable time frame, an AI model with characteristics related either to performance or to the computational resources used in its development that approximately match or surpass the state of the art at the time of the AI model's development." As part of the intended data center expansion, President Biden said the operators must match their electricity consumption on an hourly basis with clean energy like geothermal, nuclear, wind, and solar. Just days before he hands over office to Donald Trump, and in light of ongoing geopolitical tensions, Biden also said campuses should impose stringent physical and cyber security standards, including further along the supply chain. "The executive order announced today will ensure the United States has the infrastructure -- including large-scale data centers and clean power facilities -- necessary to maintain America's competitive advantage and safeguard our national security interests," noted Vice President Kamala Harris. The news comes shortly after President-elect Trump confirmed Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani would invest $20 billion, or more, in America's AI infrastructure.

Biden to issue executive order to ensure power for AI data centers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centers, the White House said. The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean power facilities - to address enormous power needs on a short time frame. Biden said the order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." The order also requires companies tapping federal land for AI data centers to purchase an "appropriate share" of American-made semiconductors. The number of purchases required would be worked out on a case-by-case basis for each project and comes as the Biden administration is spending more than $30 billion to subsidize U.S. chip production. "It's really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States," White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted the volumes of computing power and electricity needed to train and operate frontier models - a term for the most advanced AI models available - "are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more." He said by around 2028 leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models. The Commerce Department said Monday it would further restrict AI chip and technology exports to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States," Chhabra said. Biden also wants agencies to facilitate interconnection to the electric grid, address permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites. Chhabra noted AI systems developed today are already "demonstrating really remarkable capabilities for military applications or potential use, including really significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks." He added ensuring domestic data centers "will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Saad Sayeed)

Biden to Issue Executive Order to Ensure Power for AI Data Centers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centers, the White House said. The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean power facilities - to address enormous power needs on a short time frame. Biden said the order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." The order also requires companies tapping federal land for AI data centers to purchase an "appropriate share" of American-made semiconductors. The number of purchases required would be worked out on a case-by-case basis for each project and comes as the Biden administration is spending more than $30 billion to subsidize U.S. chip production. "It's really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States," White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted the volumes of computing power and electricity needed to train and operate frontier models - a term for the most advanced AI models available - "are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more." He said by around 2028 leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models. The Commerce Department said Monday it would further restrict AI chip and technology exports to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States," Chhabra said. Biden also wants agencies to facilitate interconnection to the electric grid, address permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites. Chhabra noted AI systems developed today are already "demonstrating really remarkable capabilities for military applications or potential use, including really significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks." He added ensuring domestic data centers "will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Saad Sayeed)

Biden opens federal land for AI data centers, sets rules for developers

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the State Department in Washington, U.S. Jan. 13, 2025. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Thursday aimed at speeding domestic construction of artificial intelligence infrastructure and shoring up the national security risk involved in the technology. The move empowers the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy to lease federal sites for gigawatt-scale AI data centers. "AI is poised to have large effects across our economy, including in health care, transportation, education, and beyond, and it is too important to be offshored," the White House said in a release. The order also issued guidelines for AI developers using the sites to not only build, operate and maintain the leased centers at full cost, but also to deliver clean energy resources to match their capacity needs to prevent increases in electricity costs.

Biden to issue executive order to ensure power for AI data centers

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centers, the White House said. The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean power facilities - to address enormous power needs on a short time frame. Biden said the order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." The order also requires companies tapping federal land for AI data centers to purchase an "appropriate share" of American-made semiconductors. The number of purchases required would be worked out on a case-by-case basis for each project and comes as the Biden administration is spending more than $30 billion to subsidize U.S. chip production. "It's really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States," White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted the volumes of computing power and electricity needed to train and operate frontier models - a term for the most advanced AI models available - "are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more." He said by around 2028 leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models. The Commerce Department said Monday it would further restrict AI chip and technology exports to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States," Chhabra said. Biden also wants agencies to facilitate interconnection to the electric grid, address permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites. Chhabra noted AI systems developed today are already "demonstrating really remarkable capabilities for military applications or potential use, including really significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks." He added ensuring domestic data centers "will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Saad Sayeed Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:CybersecurityHuman Rights

Outgoing US president signs executive order to grow AI data centres

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order to make sure artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, such as data centres and clean power facilities, can be built quickly. The executive order directs certain federal agencies to make some of their sites available for AI data centres and clean power facilities, to connect the infrastructure to the electric grid, and to help speed up the permitting process. The agencies will run "competitive solicitations" from private companies to build AI data centres on those federal sites, according to a White House statement. Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient clean power generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centres. This would mean the electricity cost coming from data centres would not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said. In a statement about the executive order, Biden said he signed it into force so that America will not "be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water." The executive order, according to Biden, also accelerates the clean energy transition in a way that is "responsible and respectful to local communities" and does not add costs to the average American. The US government will also complete a study into how AI data centres are affecting electricity prices, the statement continued. The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration's proposed new restrictions on exports of AI chips, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. That proposal raised concerns of chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union over export restrictions that would affect 120 countries.

Biden signs executive order that will make federal lands available for AI infrastructure - SiliconANGLE

Biden signs executive order that will make federal lands available for AI infrastructure President Joe Biden today signed an executive order that will make federal lands available for artificial intelligence data centers. The order also seeks to support green energy projects that can meet those facility power requirements. According to The Verge, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently determined that data centers' electricity usage has tripled over the past decade. It's believed demand could triple again by 2028. Under the new executive order, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense will lease federal sites to AI infrastructure builders. Some of those sites are set to be allocated to small businesses and startups. Officials will enable developers to bid for leases via "competitive solicitations." According to the White House, participating companies will have to bring online new energy projects that can fully meet their AI data centers' power requirements. Their efforts in this area will be supported by multiple government agencies. The Department of Interior will identify federal sites that are suitable for hosting clean power facilities. Additionally, it will streamline the permitting process for geothermal energy projects. The Energy Department is likewise launching a new clean power program that will focus on, among others, supporting the deployment of nuclear energy. Several other federal agencies will participate as well. According to the White House, those agencies will dedicate staffers to ensuring that permits for AI infrastructure projects are granted in a timely manner. The push to streamline the permitting process will focus partly on "categorical exclusions," a legal tool in the National Environmental Policy Act. It facilitates expedited regulatory reviews of construction projects that don't significantly affect the environment. Federal agencies will identify opportunities to use categorical exclusions to expedite AI infrastructure development. In addition to new data centers and green energy generation facilities, the executive order seeks to support the construction of the power transmission lines needed to connect them. The Energy Department will help developers finance, plan and build new transmission lines. As part of the effort, officials will identify locations where existing power cables are operating at capacity and new ones need to be added. The Energy Department plans to work with utilities to determine how the necessary power grid infrastructure enhancements should be made. In a separate initiative, several federal agencies will support manufacturers of power transmission equipment such as transformers. The Defense, Energy, and Commerce Department will explore opportunities to establish reserves of such hardware. Loan-guarantee programs will also be considered. "The organization likely to 'win' the most in this deal is Nvidia, who powers the training and inference processors used by AI systems," said David Brauchler, the technical director and head of AI and ML security at cybersecurity consulting firm NCC Group. "They've already experienced their stock skyrocketing as demand for high-end AI hardware increases, and this deal is likely to contribute to their further growth."

Biden takes big step for the future of AI with ambitious executive order

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States. The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities. Those agencies will help facilitate the infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. While the tech industry has long relied on data centers to run online services, from email and social media to financial transactions, new AI technology behind popular chatbots and other generative AI tools requires even more powerful computation to build and operate. A report released by the Department of Energy last month estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028, when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. In a statement, Biden said AI will have "profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change." "However, we cannot take our lead for granted," the Democratic president said. "We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water." Under the new rules, the departments of Defense and Energy will each identify at least three sites where the private sector can build AI data centers. The agencies will run "competitive solicitations" from private companies to build AI data centers on those federal sites, senior administration officials said. Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient clean power generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centers. Although the U.S. government will be leasing land to a company, that company would own the materials it creates there, officials said. With less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, a big question is whether the incoming administration will keep or rescind the new order. Much of the order's focus is on reducing the bottlenecks of getting energy-hungry data centers connected to new sources of electricity including renewable sources such as wind and solar. "It has to be a priority because otherwise you're going to have blackouts, you're going to have citizens or businesses being affected by this," said computer scientist Sasha Luccioni, climate lead at the AI company Hugging Face. "Making it easier to facilitate interconnection of infrastructure to the electric grid is kind of a no brainer that would be useful for the next administration, no matter what their priorities are in terms of sustainability or climate." Biden said the efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is "responsible and respectful to local communities" and does not add costs to the average American. Developers selected to build on government sites will be required to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that development does not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said. The orders also direct construction of AI data centers on federal sites to be done with public labor agreements. Some of the sites are reserved for small and medium-sized AI companies, according to government officials. Government agencies will also complete a study on the effects of all AI data centers on electricity prices, and the Energy Department will provide technical assistance to state public utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs that can support connecting new large customers with clean energy. As part of the order, the Interior Department will identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy development and can support data centers on government sites, administration officials said. "The volumes of computing power, electricity needed to train and operate frontier models are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more," said Tarun Chhabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security. "By around 2028, we expect that leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models." Deploying AI systems at scale also requires a broader network of data centers across different parts of the country, he said. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States," he said, adding that building data centers in the U.S. will prevent "adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." That type of investment will also prevent the U.S. from growing dependent on other countries to access AI tools, Chhabra said. The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration's proposed new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips to more than 100 countries. That proposal raised concerns of chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union and China, and criticism from some Republicans and Trump allies. By contrast, tech industry groups welcomed Biden's data center order Tuesday while some liberal groups said it didn't contain sufficient environmental protections. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who last month had warned Biden against fast-tracking data center expansion, praised the order Monday for recognizing the risks unchecked data center growth could pose to the electricity grid and climate. "Ratepayers and future generations should not have to bear the costs of the insatiable energy demands of tech companies that are making enormous amounts of money from the AI boom," Whitehouse said, adding that he doubted the Trump administration would implement it. Trump's transition team didn't return an emailed request for comment on the order. Missing from the order is how to manage the water consumption of AI data centers. There is a growing concern in states with multiple data centers over how to balance the economic development they bring with their impact on water resources as they use vast amounts of water for cooling, said J. Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. "Across the country, everyone is trying to get a better idea of the impact of data centers on water use now and in the future," he said. The executive order could have instructed federal agencies to collect information about how much water data centers use to help state and local officials making zoning decisions about whether to allow them, but it did not, he added.

Biden issues executive order targeting AI energy demand

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order that aims to ensure American AI leadership doesn't lag because of shoddy energy infrastructure. The order directs the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to identify and lease federal land to the private sector for the purposes of developing gigawatt-scale datacenters along with the "clean power infrastructure" necessary to support the "full electricity needs" of these facilities. "The significant and growing electricity needs of large-scale AI operations present a new opportunity for advancing American leadership in clean energy technologies that will power the economy," the US President said in a White House statement. The extreme power required for massive AI compute workloads has driven many cloud and hyperscale operators to embrace emerging energy tech, fund the construction of new gas plants, and even colocate some facilities alongside existing nuclear reactors. Meta, for instance, recently issued a request for proposal for up to four gigawatts of nuclear power generation to support its long-term AI ambitions. Maintaining AI leadership has become a focal point for the Biden administration, which has repeatedly turned to executive powers and export controls to advance US companies while stifling development by rival nations, most notably China and Russia. "By activating the full force of the federal government to speed up and scale AI operations here in the United States, we are securing our global leadership on AI, which will have a profound impact on our economy, society, and national security for generations to come," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a White House statement. The order cites a variety of existing and emerging technologies that could support the AI's massive appetite for energy including nuclear, geothermal, solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. By matching energy generation to datacenter demand, the White House hopes to avoid driving up consumer electricity pricing. However, given the pace at which the Biden administration aims to advance the development of these facilities, some technologies, most notably small modular reactors (SMRs), may not be practical. According to the order, site selection and partner evaluation are slated for completion in 2025, with facilities projected to be operational by late 2027. Several cloud providers have announced plans to adopt SMRs long term. However, the majority are slated for deployment in the early 2030s, likely putting them outside the scope of the order. While the order directs government agencies to lease federal land to private partners, streamline permits, and facilitate grid planning, participants will still be responsible for the cost of building and furnishing the datacenters along with procuring clean energy for the sites. Additionally, participants will be required to purchase an appropriate share of domestically manufactured semiconductors. This last point is potentially problematic for datacenter operators as only a fraction of the processors used in AI systems today are actually built in the US. While Intel's Xeon processor family is still manufactured domestically, the vast majority of other CPUs, GPUs, and AI accelerators have long since been outsourced to fabs in Taiwan. This could, however, change as TSMC ramps production at its new Arizona fab sites, potentially enabling chips from AMD, Nvidia, and others to be built in the US. The executive order comes amid growing pressure from AI advocates and model builders, such as OpenAI founder Sam Altman who has reportedly called on the US to advance a network of multi-gigawatt AI datacenters. However, all of the deadlines set forth under the order will fall to the Trump administration to follow through on. With the President-elect set to take office on Monday, there's no guarantee the order won't be scrapped or substantially altered -- for example dropping clean energy mandates. The announcement of federal site selection will be made at the end of March 2025. Tuesday's order comes a day after the Biden administration announced tighter rules on AI exports, restricting the sale of GPUs to most of the world. However, just like today's executive order, it's unclear whether these rules will survive next week's presidential transition. ®

Biden administration opens up federal land to AI data centers

With less than a week left in office, President Joe Biden is not done leaving his mark on the AI industry. President Biden issued an executive order on Tuesday that will allow private sector AI companies to lease federal sites owned by the Department of Defense and Department of Energy in order to build AI data centers. Companies that build data centers on these sites will be required to bring online enough clean energy resources to match the electricity needed to power the data centers. This is not a grant program. AI companies that build data centers on these federal sites will need to pay the full cost to build, operate, and maintain them. In a press release, the White House said that this order is meant to strengthen and secure the U.S.'s global leadership on AI and prevent domestic AI companies from depending on other countries to access AI tools and infrastructure. It added that the proper resources will be awarded for these departments to ensure they can inspect and approve bids for federal sites quickly and efficiently. The executive order's emphasis on renewable energy here seems notable. Data centers currently consume 4% of all the U.S.'s power, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, and that figure is expected to grow to 9% by the end of the decade. Overall, data center power demand is expected to double over the next five years, according to a report by JLL. This executive order comes just one day after the Biden Administration announced a new set of rules and guidelines regarding AI chip exports that imposed further restrictions on a number of countries, including adversaries like China and Russia, while also imposing a 50,000 chip quota for the majority of the rest of the world. The caveat is that these orders come just a week before Donald Trump returns to the presidency, where he is expected to reverse a lot of Biden administration policies.

Biden signs executive order aimed at growing AI infrastructure in the US

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States. The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities. Those agencies will help facilitate the infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. In a statement, Biden said AI will have "profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change." "However, we cannot take our lead for granted," the Democratic president said. "We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water." Under the new rules, the departments of Defense and Energy will each identify at least three sites where the private sector can build AI data centers. The agencies will run "competitive solicitations" from private companies to build AI data centers on those federal sites, senior administration officials said. Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient clean power generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centers. Although the U.S. government will be leasing land to a company, that company would own the materials it creates there, officials said. Biden said the efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is "responsible and respectful to local communities" and does not add costs to the average American. Developers selected to build on government sites will be required to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that development does not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said. The orders also direct construction of AI data centers on federal sites to be done with public labor agreements. Some of the sites are reserved for small and medium-sized AI companies, according to government officials. Government agencies will also complete a study on the effects of all AI data centers on electricity prices, and the Energy Department will provide technical assistance to state public utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs that can support connecting new large customers with clean energy. As part of the order, the Interior Department will identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy development and can support data centers on government sites, administration officials said. "The volumes of computing power, electricity needed to train and operate frontier models are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more," said Tarun Chhabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security. "By around 2028, we expect that leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models." Deploying AI systems at scale also requires a broader network of data centers across different parts of the country, he said. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States," he said, adding that building data centers in the U.S. will prevent "adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." That type of investment will also prevent the U.S. from growing dependent on other countries to access AI tools, Chhabra said. The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration's proposed new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. That proposal raised concerns of chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union over export restrictions that would affect 120 countries. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Biden orders US government to prepare for astronomical energy...

President Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centers, the White House said. The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean power facilities - to address enormous power needs on a short time frame. Biden said the order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." The order also requires companies tapping federal land for AI data centers to purchase an "appropriate share" of American-made semiconductors. The number of purchases required would be worked out on a case-by-case basis for each project and comes as the Biden administration is spending more than $30 billion to subsidize US chip production. "It's really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States," White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted the volumes of computing power and electricity needed to train and operate frontier models - a term for the most advanced AI models available - "are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more." He said by around 2028 leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models. The Commerce Department said Monday it would further restrict AI chip and technology exports to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States," Chhabra said. Biden also wants agencies to facilitate interconnection to the electric grid, address permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites. Chhabra noted AI systems developed today are already "demonstrating really remarkable capabilities for military applications or potential use, including really significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks." He added ensuring domestic data centers "will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security."

Biden to issue executive order to bolster AI infrastructure in the US

Keeping AI in the U.S. is "critical" for national security, an official said. With just days left in his administration, President Joe Biden will sign a new executive order focused on bolstering the infrastructure needed to for advanced AI operations in the U.S., according to the White House. "I am signing an historic Executive Order to accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy," Biden said in a Tuesday statement on the announcement. The order will direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to lease federal sites where the private sector can build AI infrastructure "at speed and scale," he said. "These efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is responsible and respectful to local communities, and in a way that does not impose any new costs on American families," Biden added. Tarun Chabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security, said on a call previewing the order that it's "really critical" for national security to establish a path for building the data centers and power infrastructure in the U.S. "Domestic data centers for training and operating powerful AI models will help the United States facilitate AI's safe and secure development and harness AI in the service of our national security," he said. "It will also prevent our adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security, while preventing the United States from growing dependent on other countries to access powerful AI tools." Biden underscored the importance of AI in his remarks at the State Department on Monday. "AI has the power to reshape, reshape economies, governments, national security, entire societies. And it must be the United States and our closest allies lead the way to ensure people's rights are respected, their safety is protected, and their data is secure," Biden said. Officials on a call with reporters noted current strains on the AI market to make investments needed for large-scale operations saying their cost, power constraints and permitting challenges resulting in long lead times to bring data centers to market. "The Executive Order directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities, facilitate this infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid, fulfill permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites," according to a fact sheet on the announcement. Specifically, the order will direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to identify at least three federal sites each they own for these types of developments and allow private sector companies to bid competitively on leases to build on the sites.

Biden issues executive order to advance AI infrastructure

The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities. Those agencies will help facilitate the infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. While the tech industry has long relied on data centers to run online services, from email and social media to financial transactions, new AI technology behind popular chatbots and other generative AI tools requires even more powerful computation to build and operate. A report released by the Department of Energy last month estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028, when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity.

Biden signs executive order aimed at growing AI infrastructure in the US

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States. The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities. Those agencies will help facilitate the infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. In a statement, Biden said AI will have "profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change." "However, we cannot take our lead for granted," the Democratic president said. "We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water." Under the new rules, the departments of Defense and Energy will each identify at least three sites where the private sector can build AI data centers. The agencies will run "competitive solicitations" from private companies to build AI data centers on those federal sites, senior administration officials said. Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient clean power generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centers. Although the U.S. government will be leasing land to a company, that company would own the materials it creates there, officials said. Biden said the efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is "responsible and respectful to local communities" and does not add costs to the average American. Developers selected to build on government sites will be required to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that development does not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said. The orders also direct construction of AI data centers on federal sites to be done with public labor agreements. Some of the sites are reserved for small and medium-sized AI companies, according to government officials. Government agencies will also complete a study on the effects of all AI data centers on electricity prices, and the Energy Department will provide technical assistance to state public utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs that can support connecting new large customers with clean energy. As part of the order, the Interior Department will identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy development and can support data centers on government sites, administration officials said. "The volumes of computing power, electricity needed to train and operate frontier models are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more," said Tarun Chhabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security. "By around 2028, we expect that leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models." Deploying AI systems at scale also requires a broader network of data centers across different parts of the country, he said. "From a national security standpoint, it's really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States," he said, adding that building data centers in the U.S. will prevent "adversaries from accessing these powerful systems to the detriment of our military and our national security." That type of investment will also prevent the U.S. from growing dependent on other countries to access AI tools, Chhabra said. The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration's proposed new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. That proposal raised concerns of chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union over export restrictions that would affect 120 countries.

Data Centers Run on Clean Energy Now Welcome on Publicly Owned Land

CLIMATEWIRE | President Joe Biden issued an executive order Tuesday that directs the departments of Energy and Defense to lease sites to the private sector for a build-out of "gigawatt-scale" data centers. The move is intended to bolster clean energy and protect national security during a boom in artificial intelligence. Data centers built on federal sites would be required to bring clean energy online to match the facility's electricity needs, according to the White House. The Biden administration did not fully define clean energy in its announcement. But it called for DOE and DOD to select sites that have access to transmission and do not negatively affect communities. The executive order also directs the Interior Department to identify land that could support the data centers and enhance permitting for geothermal power. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The order requests that federal agencies speed up permitting at selected sites, including through "categorical exclusions" under the National Environmental Policy Act. DOE would be required to work with utilities to connect AI infrastructure to the grid, as well as promote the deployment of renewable and nuclear energy. "DOE will take appropriate steps to coordinate with developers in constructing, financing, facilitating, and planning the upgrade and development of transmission lines around those sites. To facilitate this work, DOE will also collect information to improve transmission planning in these regions, such as utility data on transmission congestion," the order states. With President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration occurring next week, it's unclear how much influence the order will have. Trump has chastised Biden's push for clean energy but has called for more drilling to boost energy supplies to get ahead of China on AI. He also has pushed for a data center build-out of his own. At a press conference last week, Trump said Hussain Sajwani, a real estate developer in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, would invest $20 billion to build data centers in eight states. Biden's order has been expected for weeks. POLITICO previously reported that the president pushed for it partly because technology companies are eyeing subsidies in the Middle East to build data centers. In November, Google inked a deal to develop an artificial intelligence hub in Saudi Arabia. Tuesday's order states that the new plan would prevent adversaries from accessing powerful computer systems "to the detriment of our military." AI is "too important to be offshored," the order states. A DOE report last month found that data centers could triple their energy use and account for 12 percent of the country's electricity by 2028. States and utilities have been grappling with how to plan for the surge in electricity demand. In Virginia, one of the world's largest AI clusters, officials have warned that growth in data centers may challenge the grid without much faster construction of gas, renewables and transmission. Prior to the order's release, environmental groups warned the administration not to release a plan that would loosen environmental restrictions and increase the potential for more pollution. The order states that expedited permitting should occur for infrastructure that "does not significantly affect the environment." It further directs agencies to complete a study on data centers' effects on electricity prices. According to the White House, developers would have to pay the full cost of building, operating and maintaining data centers on federal land so they don't raise costs for consumers. The order also directs DOE and DOD to require companies to assess national security risks of projects and ensure that workers are paid "prevailing wages."

Biden Issues Executive Order Governing AI Infrastructure | PYMNTS.com

The White House issued an executive order covering artificial intelligence infrastructure plans in the United States. With less than a week left in office, President Joe Biden signed an order on AI Tuesday (Jan. 14) aimed at making sure data centers can be constructed quickly. In his order, Biden said the effort will allow the government to employ AI for national security measures while also boosting economic competitiveness in the U.S. "These imperatives require building AI infrastructure in the United States on the time frame needed to ensure United States leadership over competitors who, already, are racing to take the lead in AI development and adoption," the order said. The order told federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government properties, adding safeguards on developers building at the sites. It also ordered various agencies to open federal sites for new data centers and clean power plans. "Cutting-edge AI will have profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change," Biden said in a Tuesday statement on the order. Earlier this month, the U.S. and India made a pact based on investments and protections involving AI. Officials from the two countries plan to develop a government-to-government framework for promoting reciprocal investments in AI and aligning protections around the diffusion of the technology. The two countries also plan to bolster cooperation around the national security applications of AI and the "safe, secure and trustworthy" development of AI.

President Biden signs executive order to promote AI infrastructure

United States President Joe Biden, scheduled to leave office on Jan. 20, has signed an executive order to incentivize the private sector to build AI infrastructure. In a Jan. 14 notice from the White House, President Biden said he had signed an executive order on "advancing United States leadership in artificial intelligence infrastructure." According to the US President, the order will direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to lease federal land for private companies to build AI infrastructure "in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." "This renewed partnership between the government and industry will ensure that the United States will continue to lead the age of AI," said President Biden. The text of the EO stated that the federal sites would be required to use an "appropriate share" of US-manufactured semiconductors. The government would also be allowed to provide oversight of any private sector developers for "evaluating the national security implications of AI models" created on-site. Transitioning from Biden to Trump The executive order appeared to be the 157th Biden had signed since beginning his term as US President in January 2021 and his eighth in 2025. In 2022, the US leader authorized government agencies to explore creating a regulatory framework for digital assets through an EO. Related: President Biden proposes ban on congressional stock trading: Report Biden's EO came a day after the US President proposed a framework restricting semiconductor sales to foreign nations. Some industry leaders criticized the plans as potentially harming US companies by making them less competitive globally. President Biden is scheduled to leave office on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Reports have suggested Trump could sign several executive orders on his first day in office, including one addressing the debanking of crypto firms. In addition to potentially signing executive orders on crypto, the president-elect promised to ban the development of a central bank digital currency, have all Bitcoin BTC $95,972 mined in the United States, and create a strategic Bitcoin reserve from crypto seized by US law enforcement agencies.