By Valerie Volcovici and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters)
With his second term in office, it seems that President Donald Trump has a clear vision of the future of the United States. One of these is definitely the whole AI (Artificial Intelligence) issue. The ultimate goal is still to make America the driving force behind the Artificial Intelligence revolution. It would also be just wise to try and understand what Trump has up his sleeves to ensure that this dream becomes a reality. On the opposite side of the drive for AI excellence is China.
Energy-driven actionable plan
The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the U.S. expansion of artificial intelligence, according to four sources familiar with the planning. Top economic rivals, the U.S. and China, are locked in a technological arms race, and with it, secure an economic and military edge.
The huge amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in power supplies that are straining utilities and grids in many states. The moves under consideration include making it easier for power-generating projects to connect to the grid and providing federal land on which to build the data centers needed to expand AI technology, according to the sources.
The administration will also release an AI action plan and schedule public events to draw public attention to the efforts, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Training large-scale AI models requires a huge amount of electricity, and the industry’s growth is driving the first big increase in U.S. power demand in decades.
Taking the right steps to success
President Trump’s AI strategy is quite comprehensive. This 28-page document is referred to as “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” This plan works based on three “pillars” – building AI infrastructure, accelerating AI innovation, and establishing the US as a global leader in this environment.
Another critical issue of this plan is to reduce the number of environmental regulations that have been imposed on data centers. Between 2024 and 2029, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow at five times the rate predicted in 2022, according to power-sector consultancy Grid Strategies.
Bringing the projects home to the people
Among the ideas under consideration by the administration is to identify more fully developed power projects and move them higher on the waiting list for connection, two of the sources said.
Siting data centers has also been challenging because larger facilities require a lot of space and resources and can face zoning obstacles or public opposition. Power projects, in essence, refer to those complex systems that are responsible for supplying power to industries, homes, as well as propel technological processes.
It is therefore understandable that these are quite important in the whole process. The executive orders could provide a solution to that by offering land managed by the Defense Department or the Interior Department to project developers, the sources said.
The administration is also considering streamlining permitting for data centers by creating a nationwide Clean Water Act permit, rather than requiring companies to seek permits on a state-by-state basis, according to one of the sources.
Trump has prioritized winning the AI race against China and declared on his first day in office a national energy emergency aimed at removing all regulatory obstacles to oil and gas drilling, coal and critical mineral mining, and building new gas and nuclear power plants to bring more energy capacity online. It seems the competition is on to see who can take the leading role in the AI environment. Capacity building is a crucial requirement in this race, for any country that is. President Trump’s commitment to this drive is noteworthy.
GCN.com/REUTERS.