Energy selects 16 sites for AI data center construction, new energy development
Energy Secretary Chris Wright delivers remarks outside the White House on March 19, 2025. Wright said in an April 3 press release that Energy has identified 16 public land sites for potential construction of data centers needed to further power the development of AI tools. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The Department of Energy identified 16 locations on its own land to build the new infrastructure.
The Department of Energy is moving forward with some of the Trump administration’s plans to support both artificial intelligence infrastructure development and energy production, identifying 16 public land sites for potential construction.
In a Thursday announcement, Energy confirmed that these 16 locations are uniquely positioned for the construction of data centers ready to process the large volumes of compute needed for AI applications. Some of these sites include in-place energy infrastructure, which will expedite the requisite permitting needed to begin research on new forms of energy generation, such as fusion.
The advent of more AI-ready infrastructure and development of energy resources needed to generate power for that infrastructure are both tenants outlined in President Donald Trump’s January executive orders on AI and U.S. energy security.
“The global race for AI dominance is the next Manhattan project, and with President Trump’s leadership and the innovation of our National Labs, the United States can and will win,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the press release announcing the sites selected. “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.”
The 16 sites span multiple states and are listed relative to nearby Energy facilities. They include:
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
- Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- National Energy Technology Laboratory
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Savannah River Site
- Pantex Plant
- Kansas City National Security Campus.
Alongside the announcement, Energy is launching a request for information to gather feedback from industry experts — specifically data center and energy developers — along with the general public on possible uses of Energy-controlled land for data center construction, operational models and economic considerations, along with other input. The RFI also states that it will collaborate with impacted local and Tribal governments to ensure the data centers are built responsibly.
In addition to soliciting comments, the press release said Energy is prioritizing a public-private partnership model to spearhead innovation in both AI and energy technologies and systems.
The appeal for private industry is Energy’s pledge to allow partner companies and entities access to these data centers and the research facilities located alongside the 16 sites.
“The sites also offer the industry a chance to partner with DOE’s world-class research facilities co-located on the sites, furthering advancements in both the power systems design needed to run the centers and developing next-generation data center hardware,” the press release stated.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details about the sites selected in the request for information.