The Department of the Air Force is opening unused land at five bases for private companies to develop large-scale artificial intelligence data centers. According to Federal News Network, each project must be valued at more than $500 million and require at least 100 megawatts of power to qualify.
The request for lease proposals, released last week, follows President Donald Trump’s executive orders directing federal agencies to use government-owned land and resources to speed the nation’s AI infrastructure development. Companies may lease property at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The Air Force’s solicitation identifies roughly 3,100 acres of “underutilized” land across the five installations, Defense News reported. More than 2,100 of those acres are located at Edwards AFB, the service’s premier flight test center and home to the B-21 Raider and T-7 Red Hawk programs.
“AI is transforming the modern world, and these data centers are crucial for America to remain at the forefront of innovation,” Robert Moriarty, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for installations, said in a statement to Defense News.
Proposals are due Nov. 14, with selections expected early next year following environmental assessments and design reviews.
The leases will likely run up to 50 years and must be bid at fair market value. The Air Force said the initiative is open to outside organizations and not limited to defense-related projects. Parcels range from smaller tracts of less than 300 acres to multiple large sites at Edwards AFB. The department said it “cannot afford to disregard or discount the value of any asset” and aims to optimize underused property while encouraging private-sector investment in national technology infrastructure.
I wonder which bases will get the Trump hotels and golf courses.