The Department of Energy announced plans Thursday to locate data centers on federal lands to support a boom in artificial intelligence, including potentially at multiple national lab locations.
In a request for information, DOE said it had identified 16 sites overseen by the department that potentially could host AI infrastructure. It said it was seeking input from companies and the public on how to potentially develop the sites and back public-private partnerships to meet surging electricity demand in the coming years.
“The global race for AI dominance is the next Manhattan project, and with President Trump’s leadership and the innovation of our national labs, the United States can and will win,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. Wright, who has repeatedly called for boosting AI capacity, is visiting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado today and plans to reveal more information there.
The department said it is looking to enable construction of AI infrastructure by the end of 2025 and start operations at data center sites by the end of 2027.
