The Department of the Army is rolling out the next stage in artificial intelligence (AI) expansion as it plans to lease underutilized land across four military installations for data center development.
The issuance aligns with the federal government’s efforts to expand the nation’s AI and technological infrastructure, advancing efforts to position the United States as a global leader in emerging technologies. The DA recently is seeking proposals from private, public or non-profit entities to develop commercial data centers under a long-term lease agreement. Entities have until Feb. 23 to apply.
Approved projects will build these facilities on one of four sites: Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Bliss or Dugway Proving Ground. Companies chosen for these projects will design, build, permit, develop, build, install, own, maintain, operate and decommission the data center in its entirety for the next five decades. The DA may choose to renew the lease agreement after the first one expires.
The commercial data centers built through this process will be located on non-excess properties. The completed buildings will power internet and cloud storage services and primarily consist of large, mostly windowless facilities. The solicitor will be responsible for installing utilities, building roads to the installation, providing adequate parking, perimeter fencing and police and fire protections.
Submitted entries must contain a detailed action plan for utility infrastructure, ensuring each facility is equipped with essential amenities for water, sanitary sewer, electrical power and telecommunications infrastructure. In addition, contractors must also provide a security plan for each facility, consisting of measures for cybersecurity, physical security, supply chain and other associated security risks.
Proposals must contain plans for behind-the-meter power generation capable of at least 100 megawatts (mw). The same proposals must also present action plans for scaling power availability designed to meet the needs of a fully built out data center within five years of the lease’s execution. Each plan must include the sources of energy, redundancy measures and contingency protocols needed to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Water efficiency has been included as a priority in the Army’s solicitation. To be selected, entities must provide action plans for incorporating water efficiency measures in the project to cool systems, IT equipment and energy infrastructure.
The Army’s Request for Proposals (RFP) included supplementary documentation for all sites available for lease, including details about the installations’ available land parcels, sizes, resources, available utilities, populations and more.
The Army’s plans to capitalize on AI development on military sites aren’t the only plans to lease land in the military service. The Air Force released a similar request last year following similar guidelines per the administration’s AI expansion executive order.
Photo by Sergei Starostin from Pexels
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