Biden to sign executive order boosting construction of AI infrastructure

President Biden will sign an executive order Tuesday aimed at reducing barriers to construct new data centers and the accompanying energy infrastructure needed to power the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

The executive order directs the Department of Energy and Department of Defense to select federal sites that can be leased to companies to build “gigawatt-scale” data centers, while employing the Department of the Interior to identify available lands to build clean energy infrastructure to support the new data centers.

The administration also aims to prioritize the “full and expeditious” permitting of these sites and help facilitate the development of transmission lines and interconnection to the grid.

“Currently, the market for AI infrastructure is deeply constrained,” Navtej Dhillon, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Economic Council, told reporters on a call Monday.

“Not only are these investments capital intensive, but power constraints and powering challenges result in long lead times to bring data centers to market," he added.

In order to lease these sites, companies will be required to pay for building, operating and maintaining the data centers and securing clean power to match their energy needs. They also must collaborate with the government to evaluate the national security risks of the AI models they develop and purchase an "appropriate" share of American-made semiconductors.

"The United States leads the world at the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI)," Biden said in a statement.

"However, we cannot take our lead for granted," he added. "We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water."

The executive order comes on the heels of a new framework released by the Biden administration Monday that seeks to place controls on the “diffusion” of American-made AI, particularly advanced AI chips.

The “diffusion” rule, which was immediately rebuked by the semiconductor and chips industry, places new restrictions on chip sales to most countries around the world, excluding a handful of U.S. allies.

“The president's executive order on AI infrastructure really represents the flip side of that effort,” Tarun Chabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security, said on Monday's call.

“As we take steps to ensure the responsible diffusion of AI technology abroad, 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,” he added.

Topics

Barrasso predicts Trump will issue a 'blizzard of executive orders' once inaugurated

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said he believes President-elect Trump will issue a “blizzard of executive orders” once he is inaugurated. Barrasso joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” ...
The Hill - 2d
'There is going to be shock and awe with executive orders'

Republican Sen. John Barrasso predicted Donald Trump will hit the ground running.
Politico - 2d
Newsom announces executive order centered around rebuilding post-fires

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced an executive order centered around rebuilding in the wake of the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires on Sunday. “I'm worried about issues of rebuilding as ...
The Hill - 2d
Newsom issues executive order suspending environmental regulations to help L.A. rebuild after fires

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) tells NBC News Correspondent Jacob Soboroff about the executive order he plans to sign to help people in the Los Angeles area affected by wildfires rebuild their ...
NBC News - 2d
Trump tells GOP he wants to write 100 executive orders

President-elect Trump during a meeting with GOP senators on Wednesday said he wants to enact 100 executive orders, with many of the orders focused on his plans for immigration. “He threw that out — ...
The Hill - 5d
Microsoft Plans to Invest $3 Billion on AI, Cloud Infrastructure in India

The company plans to grow the company’s Azure cloud business in India and set up new data centers.
The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 7
Biden signs bill to boost social security payments for millions of public workers

President says Social Security Fairness Act will benefit ‘Americans who have worked hard all their lives’. Joe Biden has signed into law a measure that boosts social security payments for current ...
The Guardian - Jan. 6
Biden signs bill boosting Social Security payments for millions

President Joe Biden is set to sign into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees
ABC News - Jan. 5
Crypto Industry Anticipates Trump Executive Orders Day 1

Cryptocurrency could see a slew of policy positions when Trump takes office.
Inc. - Jan. 2
Nvidia’s Market Value Got a $2 Trillion Boost in the AI rally of 2024

The AI chipmaker recorded the largest market cap increase of any publicly listed company in 2024, nearly tripling in value to $3.28 trillion by the end of the year.
Inc. - Jan. 2