Biden to sign executive order to bolster power supply for AI data centres

US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order providing federal support to meet the substantial energy needs of data centres that power artificial intelligence, the White House said, according to Reuters.

The measure envisages leasing federal facilities owned by the Departments of Defense and Energy to host data centres and new clean-energy projects.

The initiative will “accelerate the pace of building next-generation AI infrastructure in America” and “enhance economic competitiveness, national security and the reliability of artificial intelligence”.

The order requires companies using federal lands to purchase a “proportional share” of American semiconductors. Mandatory-purchase quotas will be set individually depending on the project.

“It is extremely important to ensure that the AI industry can build training infrastructure and use powerful models here in the United States,” said White House technology adviser Tarun Chhabra.

He noted that the computing power and electricity consumed by neural networks are rising rapidly and will continue to grow at an accelerating pace.

Earlier, the Biden administration introduced new restrictions on imports of US-designed computer chips in an effort to prevent other countries from accessing advanced technologies.

In July 2024, Bernstein analysts warned of a potential US power shortage due to AI.

Later, media warned of fire risks to US power grids from artificial intelligence.