The announcement follows through on one of former President Biden's final executive orders, which directed federal agencies to identify suitable government land for new AI data centres.
The Trump administration is now moving the project forward, with the DOE designating nearly two dozen sites, including prestigious research facilities like the Idaho National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, for expedited permitting and development.
The sites are prioritised for public-private partnerships, with construction on the sites expected to commence by the end of 2027. Potential sites would also be offered the chance to co-locate DOE research facilities.
Among the proposed sites include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which already houses the world’s second most powerful supercomputer, Frontier, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the site where Robert Oppenheimer and co developed the first atomic bomb, and the Kansas City National Security Campus.
Chris Wright, the US Secretary of Energy, said: “With today’s action, the Department of Energy is taking important steps to leverage our domestic resources to power the AI revolution, while continuing to deliver affordable, reliable and secure energy to the American people.”
Under President Biden’s executive order, proposed data centres on federal land would have to have access to high-capacity transmission infrastructure.
The order wasn’t just limited to data centres, though, as Biden instructed that federal land be made available for new clean power facilities.
The DOE’s statement that it had identified sites only mentioned “new energy infrastructure” — lacking any explicit reference to clean energy. Trump is a known climate sceptic, and the GOP’s election manifesto called for a return to fossil fuels under the banner: ‘drill baby, drill.’
The statement does, however, note that permits for new nuclear energy sites would be covered by fast-track permitting.
During his confirmation hearing back in January, Wright said his top priority would be expanding nuclear power production, days before President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring American leadership in artificial intelligence, and Secretary Wright is delivering,” said Michael Kratsios, policy director at the White House Office of Science and Technology. “The Trump Administration will unleash Federal resources to build out the data resources needed for an AI-powered future.”
RELATED STORIES
AI-ready America: Biden’s last act aims to revolutionise data centre growth
White House fast-tracks AI infrastructure to host AI data centres, clean power
Steel shock: How Trump’s 25% tariffs could delay data centres and tower builds
