Developers Seek Federal Land for Massive Data Centers
The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing 17 project applications as AI-compute demand forces developers toward public acreage.
Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Data Centers
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The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is currently reviewing 17 applications to construct data center campuses on public land. These proposals include projects in Oregon and Idaho as developers seek massive plots for AI-compute infrastructure.
Why it matters
As the demand for AI compute capacity surges, developers are turning toward public lands to secure the immense acreage required for modern data center and battery energy storage system projects.
The proposed developments include the 3,013-acre Falcon Data Center in Idaho and the 106-acre Charleston Data Center near Umatilla, Oregon, which also includes battery energy storage systems (BESS) compared to standard localized compute builds.
The players
Bureau of Land Management
The federal agency responsible for managing 245 million acres of public land and reviewing applications for infrastructure development.
Copia Digital, LLC
A developer with pending applications for significant data center and BESS projects on public acreage.
Rhea Data LLC
A developer proposing a data center project on land currently utilized by the Boise Area Radio Kontrol Society.
The details
Developers are submitting applications to the Bureau of Land Management to lease federal plots for large-scale compute infrastructure. The process involves an evaluation of specific land use sets to determine if the proposed sites can support the energy and cooling requirements of high-density AI clusters. Proposed sites like the Falcon Data Center straddle rural county lines, while others in Umatilla are part of a localized cluster of four concurrent development proposals.
Timeline
October 20, 2026: Bureau of Land Management reviews are ongoing for 17 data center projects.
The Tech Race
The push for federal land indicates that developers are exhausting private real estate options in key compute corridors. This strategy shifts the competitive landscape toward projects that require federal permitting for massive-scale site acquisition.
Local communities in Shoshone and Boise may see significant changes in land usage if these projects are approved and developed. These data centers function as industrial utility sites, potentially altering local land access and grid demands.
The takeaway
The race for compute capacity is now physically constraining available land, forcing a reliance on federally managed sites. Watch for the Bureau of Land Management's upcoming environmental impact findings on these 17 specific permit applications.
Further reading
For broader trends in infrastructure growth, visit Data Centers.
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Do you support the use of public lands for private data center development?
