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 immediately define clean energy fully 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.
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.
