TLDR: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has designated Oak Ridge Reservation, Idaho National Laboratory, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and Savannah River Site as prime locations for new AI data centers. This initiative, part of the Trump administration’s strategy to accelerate AI infrastructure development and ensure U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, aims to co-locate these centers with energy generation to enhance reliability, reduce costs, and bolster national security. Private sector partnerships are being sought, with project commencement targeted by the end of 2027.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has officially selected four federal sites, including the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, as key locations for the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and associated energy generation projects. This strategic move is a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s broader ‘AI Action Plan,’ designed to accelerate the nation’s AI infrastructure and secure American leadership in the global AI race.
Alongside Oak Ridge, the Idaho National Laboratory, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and Savannah River Site have been identified as uniquely positioned to host these critical facilities. Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized the significance of this initiative, stating, ‘By leveraging DOE land assets for the deployment of AI and energy infrastructure, we are taking a bold step to accelerate the next Manhattan Project—ensuring U.S. AI and energy leadership.’ Wright further highlighted that these sites are ideal for hosting data centers and power generation, which will ‘bolster grid reliability, strengthen our national security, and reduce energy costs.’
The DOE’s decision follows an overwhelming response to an April request for information (RFI), which helped inform the selection of these sites. The chosen locations are deemed well-suited for large-scale data centers, new power generation facilities, and other necessary infrastructure. The department plans to invite private sector partners to collaborate on these projects, with details regarding project scope, eligibility requirements, and submission guidelines expected in the coming months. The goal is to select private sector partners by the end of the year, with work commencing by the end of 2027.
This effort aligns with President Trump’s Executive Orders on ‘Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure,’ ‘Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security,’ and ‘Unleashing American Energy.’ The initiative also seeks to address the escalating electricity demand from data centers, which the International Energy Agency projects could more than double by 2030, potentially consuming more electricity than Japan’s entire current consumption. Co-locating data centers with energy production is seen as a way to mitigate these energy demands and ensure reliable power.
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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn lauded the announcement, expressing her enthusiasm on X (formerly Twitter): ‘I’m thrilled to learn @ENERGY chose Tennessee for new large-scale data centers, and I look forward to seeing all the advancements made in the Volunteer State.’ The Oak Ridge Reservation, historically significant as part of the original Manhattan Project, is already home to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which operates the Frontier exascale supercomputer, and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Researchers at ORNL are actively engaged in ensuring the trustworthiness of AI, with Prasanna Balaprakash, director of AI programs at ORNL, noting the transformative potential of AI due to the ‘marriage between the availability of the data and the availability of the cheap compute.’
