Executive Order 14141: Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure (January 14, 2025)

Overview

Published in the Federal Register of 17 January 2025 (Vol. 90, No. 11), the order frames US AI infrastructure around national security, economic competitiveness, clean energy, consumer electricity prices and benefits for workers and communities. It sets five principles; one is that new data-centre electricity demand must not take clean power from other users, cause resource adequacy problems or raise grid emissions, so AI infrastructure must be matched with new clean generation. Another is that AI companies finance the infrastructure they need.

Section 4 is the core mechanism. By 28 February 2025 the Secretaries of Defense and Energy were each to identify, if possible, at least 3 sites on federal land for leasing, aiming at construction and operation of a frontier AI data centre and its clean energy facilities by the end of 2027. Site criteria include terrain gradient and soil durability, proximity to high-voltage transmission, air-quality conditions, distance from waters of the United States and telecom access. Interior identifies BLM sites and at least five Priority Geothermal Zones. Winners are targeted to start construction by 1 January 2026 and reach full-capacity operation by 31 December 2027.

The lease terms are demanding: the operator must procure new clean generation matching the data centre's electricity use on an hourly basis and deliverable to it; non-federal parties bear all costs, including environmental review, transmission, decommissioning and fair market land value; cyber, supply-chain and physical security standards apply; and operators plan to offer spare compute to startups and small firms on nondiscriminatory terms. Section 5 calls for a 180-day report on electricity prices and efficiency R&D. Sections 6 and 8 cover grid interconnection and supply of critical equipment such as transformers, switchgear, breakers and cables. Sections 7 and 9 speed NEPA, air and water permits.

The order also requires transmission providers to report interconnection information, seeks information on load interconnection processes, looks for nuclear deployment opportunities on federal land and includes engagement abroad. Section 11 states that it is implemented consistent with law and appropriations. Executive Order 14318 revoked it in its Section 4, so it is best read as a record of the policy approach of that period rather than a current framework.

Key points

1. Five principles: national security and leadership, economic competitiveness, clean power, no added cost to consumers with community support, and benefit to workers.
2. New data-centre electricity demand should be met by matching AI infrastructure with new clean generation.
3. Defense and Energy were to identify, if possible, at least 3 federal sites each by 28 February 2025, aiming at leasing and construction by the end of 2027.
4. Interior designates at least five Priority Geothermal Zones; for BLM sites, proximity to high-voltage lines with at least 1 GW of additional capacity is a priority criterion.
5. Lease targets: begin construction by 1 January 2026 and full-capacity operation by 31 December 2027.
6. Operators must supply new clean generation matching load hourly and deliverable, and bear all costs including environmental review, transmission, decommissioning and land value.
7. Cyber, supply-chain and physical security standards are mandatory on leased sites, to be identified by NIST.
8. Energy was to report within 180 days on the effect of AI data centres on electricity prices; efficiency R&D covers shell, electrical systems, HVAC, software and wastewater heat.
9. Annual supply and demand forecasts for transformers and other critical grid equipment are published, with possible Government purchases.
10. Executive Order 14318 revoked this order.

Using it in design

• For projects assumed on federal land, put the site criteria on the checklist: soil and terrain, transmission proximity, telecom, distance from waters and air quality.
• Plan the energy master plan around hourly-matched new clean generation and decommissioning cost, and model that requirement as a separate constraint in power-supply scenarios.
• Account for long lead times of transformers, switchgear, breakers and cables, which the order tracks through annual supply and demand forecasts.
• Note that lessees were asked to explore geothermal, long-duration storage, carbon capture and beneficial use of waste heat; treat heat reuse as a design option to evaluate.
• State clearly in the record that the order was revoked and replaced by Executive Order 14318.

Who should read it

Developers planning AI data centres or associated energy infrastructure on US federal land, site and energy consultants, and policy analysts.

Document contents

1. Section 1. Purpose
2. Sec. 2. Policy
3. Sec. 3. Definitions
4. Sec. 4. Establishing Federal Sites for AI Infrastructure
5. Sec. 5. Protecting American Consumers and Communities
6. Sec. 6. Facilitating Electric Grid Interconnections for Federal Sites
7. Sec. 7. Expeditiously Processing Permits for Federal Sites
8. Sec. 8. Ensuring Adequate Transmission Infrastructure for Federal Sites
9. Sec. 9. Additional Efforts to Improve Permitting and Power Procurement Nationwide
10. Sec. 10. Engagement Abroad
11. Sec. 11. General Provisions

Related standards

• EO 14318

Read the document

Publication details

Authors

Executive Office of the President

Publisher

Executive Office of the President / Federal Register

Year

2025

Document number

EO 14141; FR Doc. 2025-01395

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Open licence — downloadable

Licence

U.S. public domain — U.S. Government work; free to reuse

Licence evidence

www.copyright.gov

Citation