Trump’s Push to Build Data Centers for the US Military

FORT BLISS, Texas — President Donald Trump's administration is directing the Department of Defense to lease federal military land to private developers for hyperscale data centers, with the Carlyle Group and CyrusOne selected in March to build facilities in Texas and Utah. The DOD has requested an additional $30 billion for the project, citing national security needs for cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, though the department has not disclosed power sources—with the Texas facility alone potentially requiring more electricity than all of El Paso. The initiative is drawing backlash over environmental concerns, including potential pollution and massive electricity consumption, while military officials invoke national security to bypass standard permitting processes.