Since then, the Air Force has offered up unused land on five installations for private companies to build data centers. The Army has already entered into two conditional agreements with private companies to build “commercial hyperscaled data centers” on its installations, the branch said in a news release.
The investment firm Carlyle Group will build a data facility on 1,384 acres on Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, by 2027. Data center developer CyrusOne will build a facility on 1,201 acres on Utah’s Dugway Proving Ground by 2029, according to an Army fact sheet.
The Army has stated that the projects will come at “no upfront cost to taxpayers,” and that they will include “comprehensive behind-the-meter power and water solutions.”
But some lawmakers — mostly Democrats — are skeptical that can be done. El Paso Matters reported earlier this year that the Fort Bliss data center alone could require more power than all of El Paso’s 460,000 electricity customers combined.
Lawmakers say they have been left in the dark with regard to how these contracts will be enforced and what steps the Pentagon is taking, if any, to ensure the data centers do not create problems for military readiness, base infrastructure and nearby residents.
“Just like any other data center, we have to be very cognizant of water and of electricity,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), whose district is home to a major Marine Corps base. “A bigger concern is that we haven’t received the appropriate brief from [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth or the Defense Department about any of this.”