Biden administration opens up federal land to AI data centers

With less than a week left in office, President Joe Biden has left his mark on the AI ​​industry.

President Biden issued one executive order On Tuesday it will allow private sector AI companies to lease federal sites owned by the Defense and Energy Departments to build AI data centers. Companies that build data centers at these sites must bring enough clean energy resources online to match the electricity needed to power the data centers.

This is not a grant program. AI companies that build data centers at these federal sites must pay the full cost of construction, operation and maintenance.

In a press release, the White House said the order is intended to strengthen and protect the United States’ global leadership on AI and prevent domestic AI companies from becoming dependent on other countries for access to AI equipment and infrastructure. It added that adequate resources will be provided to these departments so that they can inspect and approve bids for federal sites expeditiously and efficiently.

Here the executive order’s emphasis on renewable energy seems significant. Data centers currently use 4% of all energy in the United States, according to Electric Power Research InstituteAnd this number is expected to increase by 9% by the end of the decade. Overall, demand for data center power is expected Double over the next five yearsAccording to a report by JLL.

The executive order comes just one day after the Biden administration made a new announcement Set rules and guidelines on AI chip exports which has imposed further restrictions on several countries, including adversaries such as China and Russia, as well as a 50,000 chip quota for most of the world.

The warning comes just a week before Donald Trump returns to the presidency, where he is expected to reverse many policies of the Biden administration.