Outgoing US President, Joe Biden has signed an executive order aimed at providing federal support to meet the massive energy demands of rapidly growing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, according to the White House.
The order directs the leasing of federal land owned by the Departments of Defense and Energy for the construction of gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean energy facilities to address the industry’s urgent power needs.
Biden emphasized that the order will “accelerate the construction of next-generation AI infrastructure in the United States, boosting economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy.”
Additionally, the order requires companies utilizing federal land for AI data centers to purchase an “appropriate share” of American-made semiconductors. The specific requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis for each project, aligning with the Biden administration’s broader initiative to invest over $30 billion in U.S. chip production.
White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra highlighted the importance of ensuring that AI infrastructure, particularly for training and running advanced AI models, is developed within the U.S. “The demand for computing power and electricity to operate frontier models is increasing rapidly, and we expect it to surge even further,” he said.
By 2028, leading AI developers are expected to need data centers capable of supporting up to five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models.
On Monday, the Commerce Department announced further restrictions on AI chip and technology exports to limit China’s access while ensuring that advanced computing power remains within the U.S. and its allied nations.
From a national security perspective, Chhabra underscored the need to build the necessary data center and power infrastructure to ensure that the most powerful AI models are trained and stored securely within the United States.
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.”
