By SARAH PARVINI, Associated Press Technology Journalist
LOS ANGELES (AP) – President Joe Biden declared on Tuesday his ambitious initiatives for artificial intelligence that will facilitate the swift enhancement of the infrastructure required for advanced AI functionalities, including expansive data centers and new renewable energy establishments. signed the decree. scale in America.
The executive order instructs federal agencies to hasten the large-scale development of AI infrastructure at government facilities while enforcing stipulations and protections on creators working at those locations. It also directs specific governmental bodies to allocate federal land for AI data centers and new renewable energy plants. These agencies assist in integrating infrastructure with the power grid and support in speeding up the approval process.
Biden articulated in a statement that AI possesses “significant national security ramifications and, when utilized judiciously, will aid Americans in various tasks from treating illnesses to alleviating climate change effects to ensuring community safety.” “It holds tremendous potential to enhance lives.”
“However, we must not assume our leadership will remain intact,” the Democratic president remarked. “We cannot permit ourselves to fall behind other nations in technologies that will shape our future, and we must not compromise essential environmental regulations and our collective endeavors to maintain clean air and water.”
According to the new regulations, the Department of Defense and Department of Energy will each pinpoint a minimum of three sites where the private sector is permitted to construct AI data centers. Government representatives indicated the agencies will conduct a “competitive solicitation” for private companies to establish AI data centers on these federal lands.
Developers undertaking construction at these sites will be obligated, among other requirements, to finance the development of those facilities and implement adequate renewable energy generation to satisfy the data center’s complete capacity requirements. Officials noted that the U.S. government would lease the parcels to companies, but those companies would possess the resources they develop on-site.
Biden stated that the initiative is designed to speed up the transition to clean energy in a manner that is “responsible and considerate of communities” and does not impose additional costs on average Americans. The government indicated that developers chosen for projects on governmental sites will bear the entire expense of constructing and operating the AI infrastructure to ensure that expenses do not escalate electricity bills for consumers.
The order further directs the establishment of an AI data center on federal land under a public labor agreement. A section of the site is earmarked for small to medium-sized AI enterprises, according to government officials.
The agency also intends to finalize a study regarding the effects of all AI data centers on electricity rates, and the Department of Energy will engage with state public utility commissions on electricity rate structures that could facilitate new large customers and clean energy connections, providing technical assistance.
As an aspect of the order, the Interior Department will identify land it oversees that is appropriate for renewable energy projects and could accommodate data centers on federal property, officials claimed.
Tarun Chhabra, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology and National Security, stated, “The volume of computational power and electrical energy needed to train and operate Frontier models is swiftly escalating and will continue to do so.” He added, “By approximately 2028, major AI developers will aspire to manage data centers with up to 5 gigawatts of capacity for training AI models.”
Implementing AI systems on a large scale also necessitates a more extensive network of data centers across various regions of the nation, he remarked.
“From a national security standpoint, it is crucial for us to chart a course for building data centers and power infrastructure that can sustain state-of-the-art AI operations within the United States,” he said, noting that this could avert “attacks by adversaries.” Gaining access to these potent systems could jeopardize our military and national security.
This form of investment also ensures that the United States does not become reliant on other nations for access to AI resources, Chhabra mentioned.
The executive order follows the recent proposals for new limitations on artificial intelligence chip exports advocated by the Biden administration, which attempts to balance national security apprehensions regarding AI chips with the economic interests of manufacturers and other nations. This is an effort to address concerns raised by semiconductor industry leaders and European Union officials about export limitations potentially affecting 120 countries.
First published: January 14, 2025 7:25am PST