DOE’s Initiative to Build AI Infrastructure on Federal Lands

In a pivotal move to accelerate U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input on building advanced AI infrastructure on DOE-managed federal lands. This initiative aims to meet the skyrocketing demand for AI compute capacity by leveraging government-owned sites for cutting-edge data centers, paired with energy infrastructure that supports long-term sustainability and national resilience. For government landholders and private sector stakeholders alike, this represents a rare opportunity to shape the digital and energy infrastructure of the future.

The DOE’s RFI outlines plans to identify, lease, and develop federal land for AI data centers that are powered by reliable, clean, and scalable energy. Construction is expected to begin by late 2025, with operations launching in 2027. Sixteen potential DOE sites have been identified, and the department encourages public-private partnerships to bring this infrastructure to life. By integrating power sources like solar, nuclear, and natural gas with AI infrastructure, the DOE hopes to minimize environmental impact while maximizing operational efficiency. However, identifying optimal sites, assessing land value, evaluating energy interconnection, and planning development timelines are complex challenges; this is where LandGate provides unmatched support.

As the leading platform for land intelligence, LandGate enables federal agencies, public landowners, and private developers to make strategic, data-driven decisions about land and energy infrastructure. Through our specialized solutions for government and public landowners, LandGate helps agencies unlock the full value of their land by providing comprehensive data on energy potential, resource monetization, infrastructure siting, and competitive leasing. In the context of the DOE’s AI initiative, LandGate equips decision-makers with high-resolution data on transmission access, capacity constraints, environmental sensitivity, and market demand all within a single, easy to use platform.

LandGate's value goes far beyond private development. Government and public landowners use the platform to understand the fair market value of their assets, screen and evaluate proposals, and bring transparency to the bidding process. For DOE and its stakeholders, this means maximizing returns on federal assets, reducing risk, and accelerating timelines for mission-critical projects like this one. As AI data centers are projected to consume up to 9% of the nation’s electricity by 2030, the ability to co-locate AI infrastructure with energy generation is not just ideal; it’s essential. LandGate streamlines this alignment through parcel-level analytics that bring clarity to energy and digital infrastructure planning.

The DOE’s AI infrastructure initiative signals a tectonic shift in how energy and digital sectors are converging, and the ripple effects will be profound. The scale of power demand associated with AI workloads is unprecedented. Emerging models and high-performance compute clusters are already stretching the capacity of traditional grids, making the siting of AI data centers not just a digital infrastructure challenge but a deeply rooted energy problem. This initiative to site AI infrastructure on federal land directly adjacent to energy generation assets is a forward-thinking solution to that problem.

For the energy sector, this marks the beginning of a new kind of offtake opportunity. Instead of selling electricity solely to utilities or conventional consumers, power generators especially those developing renewables, small modular nuclear, or hybrid generation facilities can now directly serve mission-critical AI infrastructure. The AI sector, in turn, gets the resilient, cost-stable, and clean power it needs to meet both ESG expectations and operational demands. By helping energy developers evaluate land based on co-location with DOE sites, transmission capacity, and generation economics, LandGate becomes an essential intelligence partner in this emerging market.

From the perspective of AI developers, access to power is becoming just as important as access to GPUs. Being able to pre-qualify sites with existing land rights, interconnection capacity, water access, and permitting feasibility can compress multi-year development timelines into a matter of months. With LandGate’s parcel-level data, AI infrastructure developers can perform due diligence faster, identify opportunities with the highest power reliability, and engage in competitive bidding on land backed by actionable energy insights.

This convergence is also an inflection point for public land strategy. By proactively managing federal and public lands to serve the dual mission of digital leadership and clean energy deployment, government landowners can capture immense value. LandGate supports this by providing a transparent, data-driven process for evaluating land assets, screening developers, and maximizing long-term returns; all while aligning with national priorities around climate, security, and innovation. Find all these listings on LandGate’s platform by scheduling a demo.

Responses to the DOE’s RFI are due by May 7, 2025, and should be submitted via email to aiinfrastructure@hq.doe.gov. The full RFI document, which includes site information and submission instructions, is available on the DOE’s website.

At LandGate, we believe land and energy data should be accessible and actionable. By supporting the development of AI infrastructure on public lands, we are proud to help both federal agencies and private developers work toward a future that is both digitally advanced and energy secure. Whether you’re evaluating a potential site, assessing energy co-location, or preparing a bid, LandGate is your partner for unlocking the full value of land and energy assets. 

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