DOE Seeks Private Partners for Major AI Data Center Campus at Idaho National Lab

DOE Seeks Private Partners for Major AI Data Center Campus at Idaho National Lab December 1, 2025 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a significant initiative to leverage federal land and expertise for advancing the nation's artificial intelligence capabilities. In a strategic move to address the soaring computational and energy demands of AI, the DOE is now soliciting proposals from U.S. companies to develop a privately funded AI data center campus at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The DOE's Idaho Operations Office has issued a formal request for proposals, inviting companies to enter into long-term leasing agreements for the purpose of constructing and operating AI-dedicated data centers. A key stipulation is that the selected projects will be solely financed by the private sector applicants, representing a public-private model aimed at accelerating infrastructure deployment. This initiative is part of a broader federal strategy, with INL being one of four designated sites for AI infrastructure and complementary energy generation projects. The other locations include the Oak Ridge Reservation, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and the Savannah River Site. The scale of the opportunity at INL is substantial. The DOE has previously identified approximately 44,000 acres of land at the laboratory that could be utilized not only for the data centers themselves but also for the construction of new, dedicated power generation and storage facilities. These supporting projects are envisioned to include next-generation energy sources such as advanced nuclear reactors, enhanced geothermal systems, and underground thermal energy storage, ensuring a reliable and potentially carbon-free power supply for the energy-intensive computing operations. The move underscores the federal government's focus on maintaining U.S. competitiveness in AI, which is critically dependent on access to vast computing resources. By offering space within a secure, government-managed laboratory with existing expertise in nuclear energy and grid resilience, the DOE aims to attract private investment to rapidly scale the nation's AI computing capacity. The development is expected to have significant implications for the data center industry, potentially creating a new blueprint for large-scale, energy-secure AI campus deployments and stimulating innovation in adjacent sectors like advanced power generation. Source: connectcre