Supporting U.S. Data Center Growth: NTIA Seeks Comments to Inform Policy Recommendation Report

Submit comments by November 4

In an effort to support U.S. resilience and security amidst a surge of computing power, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking comments on challenges surrounding data center growth.

NTIA’s Request for Comments (RFC) on Bolstering Data Center Growth, Resilience and Security focuses on identifying opportunities for the U.S. government to improve data centers’ market development, supply chain resilience, and data security. The inquiry also includes the requirements, standards, and supply chain risk management best practices that data center operators or customers have in place.

The RFC seeks comments related to supply chain challenges, including access to trusted equipment, energy demand, the need for a specialized workforce, and land availability. Other issues include:

• the market considerations data centers deem critical when seeking to modernize or expand;
• the potential positive and negative impacts of data center modernization or investment on society; and
• the requirements that data centers that host AI models should implement to ensure adequate data security practices.

Comments will inform a report with policy recommendations for how the U.S. government can foster sustainable, resilient, and secure data center growth.

“Data centers are the backbone of a secure and resilient technology ecosystem,” said Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and NTIA administrator. “But projections show we don’t have enough data centers in the United States to meet growing demand and power the coming AI revolution. Our inquiry will lead to policy approaches that encourage the sustainable growth of this essential computing infrastructure across the country.”

NTIA reports that there are more than 5,000 data centers in the United States, and the demand for data centers in the United States is projected to grow by 9% annually through 2030.

Comments are due on or before November 4, 2024. See the Federal Register notice for more information, including how to submit comments, and access further details via NTIA’s recent announcement.