DOE Sees an AI-Powered Future with Data Centers on 16 Federal Sites

As energy needs rise, the U.S. Department of Energy wants to build AI data centers on public lands quickly, with plans to start operations by 2027.

16 federal sites have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for the possible development of data centers and related energy resources. A call for information about the possibility of projects that may go online in less than two years was released by the agency on Thursday for grid operators and other stakeholders.

In a statement, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated that the United States can and will prevail in the global competition for supremacy in artificial intelligence, which is the next Manhattan Project, thanks to President Trump's guidance and the creativity of our National Labs. DOE is making significant efforts to use its own resources to drive the AI revolution.

According to a recent analysis by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, data centers might account for 12% of the nation's power usage by 2028, up from the current 4.5%.

The RFI supports Trump's January announcement of plans to use an energy emergency declaration to expedite power plant building for co-located AI data centers. Additionally, it is comparable to an executive order that former President Biden signed in January that aimed to establish renewable energy-powered AI data centers. However, the RFI makes no mention of using clean energy to power data centers.

After the RFI is published in the Federal Register, responses must be submitted within 30 days.

The DOE's RFI aims to gather insights on strategies, technologies, and economic factors for developing, operating, and maintaining AI infrastructure on DOE properties. It seeks feedback from grid operators about the pros and cons of current energy systems and the feasibility of co-locating data centers with energy sources. Key topics include data center power needs and strategies for aligning energy sources with data center operations.

According to DOE, it hopes to start construction by the end of this year and start operations by the end of 2027.