WASHINGTON- The US Department of the Air Force has issued a public call for private companies to lease thousands of acres across five military bases to construct large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
The solicitation, posted online this week, outlines leasing opportunities at Arnold Air Force Base (AED) in Tennessee, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMA) in Arizona, Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) in California, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (WRI) in New Jersey, and Robins Air Force Base (WRB) in Georgia.
US Air Force Plans AI Data Centers
The Department of the Air Force plans to lease roughly 3,100 acres of what it described as underutilized land across the five sites.
More than 2,100 acres of this total are located at Edwards AFB (EDW), a vast installation in the California desert primarily used for flight testing, including programs like the B-21 Raider bomber and T-7 Red Hawk trainer.
The initiative aims to accelerate private-sector investment in AI-related infrastructure, aligning with federal directives to strengthen America’s position in emerging technologies.
According to Robert Moriarty, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, these data centers represent “a crucial step for maintaining U.S. leadership in technological innovation.”
The move follows executive orders issued in January and July by President Donald Trump, directing federal agencies to fast-track AI adoption and identify military installations suitable for high-energy data center construction.
The latest order requires the Department of Defense to lease qualifying land through open competition.
Proposal Guidelines and Project Requirements
The Air Force has set a November 14 deadline for proposals. Final selections are expected in January 2026, after which environmental assessments and detailed designs will begin.
To qualify, proposed projects must include:
- A minimum load capacity of 100 megawatts.
- A total investment value exceeding $500 million.
- Compliance with Air Force leasing and environmental standards.
Leases will typically run for up to 50 years, though extensions may be approved if they advance national defense or are in the government’s best interest.
An Air Force spokesperson clarified that these sites are intended for external organizations, not internal military AI projects.
This means private tech firms and infrastructure developers will lead the design, financing, and operation of the data centers while adhering to military installation protocols.
Strategic Value of Private Partnerships
By opening military land to commercial AI data centers, the Air Force is encouraging collaboration between the defense and technology sectors without direct government funding.
This model supports national AI capacity growth while making use of secure, available land near robust power and network infrastructure.
Such partnerships could also help meet rising global demand for data processing power as AI systems expand across industries from defense and logistics to research and communications.
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