WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday announced a new effort to accelerate federal permitting for data center infrastructure, aiming to streamline the development of facilities critical to supporting the growing demands of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other digital technologies.

The directive instructs federal agencies to prioritize and expedite the review process for data center projects, citing the need to strengthen American technology infrastructure, reduce permitting delays and encourage private investment. The initiative also calls for improved coordination among federal, state and local agencies.

“Data centers are the backbone of our digital economy and vital to national security,” Trump said in a statement. “My administration is cutting red tape to ensure the United States leads in AI, quantum computing, and next-generation technologies.”

The move is expected to ease permitting timelines for the construction, expansion and power needs of data centers, which require reliable access to large amounts of energy and water. The administration’s action builds on earlier efforts to reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and reduce regulatory hurdles across infrastructure sectors.

Industry leaders have long cited permitting delays as a major challenge in building new data center capacity, especially in fast-growing regions like Northern Virginia — home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers. The administration says the new policy will help ensure these projects are approved faster while maintaining environmental safeguards.

The full White House fact sheet is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/07/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-accelerates-federal-permitting-of-data-center-infrastructure/

Edited by Dan McDermott