President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, the White House said.
The order directs leasing federal sites owned by the Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and clean power facilities to meet rising energy demands.
Biden said the move will “accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy.”
The order also requires companies using federal land for AI data centers to purchase an “appropriate share” of American-made semiconductors. These purchase agreements will be determined on a project-by-project basis, aligning with the administration’s $30 billion initiative to support U.S. semiconductor production.
“It’s really vital that we ensure that the AI industry can build out the infrastructure for training and using powerful AI models here in the United States,” White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra told reporters. He noted that computing power and electricity demands for AI models “are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more.”
The Commerce Department announced plans to restrict AI chip and technology exports to retain advanced computing capabilities within the U.S. and allied nations while blocking China’s access.
“From a national security standpoint, it’s really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States, to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States,” Chhabra said.
Biden also directed federal agencies to support grid interconnection, streamline permitting, and facilitate transmission development near federal sites.
Chhabra added that current AI systems “demonstrate capabilities for military applications or potential use, including significant risks when it comes to engineering biological or chemical, radiological or nuclear weapons, for cyber attacks.” He said securing domestic data centers will prevent adversaries from accessing these systems.
