Commercial Data Center RFI

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This RFI shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP), a lease solicitation, or any obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to select or qualify proposals or offers on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for information obtained via this RFI or in response to this notice. No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI.

In support of President Trump's critical national defense and domestic objectives of Removing Barriers To American AI Innovation (Executive Order (EO) 14179), Declaring a National Energy Emergency (14156), and Unleashing American Energy (EO 14154) the Government is assessing industry interest in leasing up to 620 acres located south of the flightline at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to site a large scale data center for commercial use (e.g., 500 MW+) and associated infrastructure and generation to support energy reliability and resilience. Examples of sought technologies to support Davis-Monthan’s current and future critical loads are but not limited to onsite energy generation (e.g. natural gas, SMR), battery energy storage, fuel storage, upgraded distribution infrastructure, complementary microgrid control and monitoring technologies, augmented fiber communication connections and the potential for a portion of the data center to provide data processing capability to the Government. Any technology solution provided as a response to this RFI should configure the system to support Davis-Monthan’s ability to operate independently from the utility grid for an extended period of time (i.e., at least 7 days, 30-40 MW). At this time the Government is contemplating this transaction as a cash neutral lease (10 USC 2667) where the desired energy reliability and resilience technologies will be provided to the Government in the form of in-kind consideration (IKC) in exchange for the appraised fair market value (FMV) of the leased land over the term of a lease. However, respondents should also provide feedback on the ideal transaction for such a project if there are other viable contractual alternatives. The purpose of this RFI is to collect industry feedback on the general interest in such a project described above, and specifically on the ideal configuration of the sought technologies and benefit to the Government.

Map and notes

The parcel of land concerned with this RFI is 330 acres, possible to expand to 620 acres with the inclusion of an abandoned landfill, Bureau of Land Management withdrawn property, and other properties as shown in Attachment 1. Flightline exclusion zone coordination tasks will be required for any development, but initial evaluation still provides the potential for significant development. The regional utility providers in the area as part of their long-range planning, have commitments to expand capacity to accommodate increased load requirements on Davis-Monthan AFB. Specifically of note, a primary gas transmission line traverses Davis-Monthan and the subject parcels specifically. Additionally, there are high voltage transmission lines and utility generation located southwest of the installation.

The RFI responses should include the following:

1) Name and brief description of the assembled team (i.e., partnership, corporation, public or private organization, etc.)

2) Business and web site addresses

3) Points of contact, including names, positions, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for the submitted information

4) Description of proposed technology to include:

a. Potential capacity in MWs by each component, islanding capability, interconnection configuration and other requirements (e.g., water, fuel, infrastructure, equipment)

b. Reasons for suggesting the specific technology and plan

c. Expected annual fuel requirements and responsibilities for the proposed configuration

5) Relevant experience, or comparable commercial experience, in developing, constructing and proposed assets

6) Provide notional project development, construction and commissioning timeline to reach operational status. Phased project buildout should also be considered

7) Acreage and location of land required for the proposed concept

8) Provide notional data center footprint (i.e., sqft), density of individual building data processing capability (i.e., MWs) and preferred height of each facility

9) Provide footprint (i.e., acres) of any associated onsite generation

10) Provide an estimate of the water requirements for a proposed project, specifically for cooling

11) Provide a perspective on the number of staff that would have to access the property once in operation

12) Provide any feedback on major barriers to bringing a project to fruition such as regulatory, power availability or supply chain challenges

13) Provide an estimate of the data center capability in number of MWs, this includes initial configuration and future build out

14) Any additional relevant information the Government should take into account for this RFI

Interested entities should submit their RFI responses via e-mail to STEPHEN CASSIDY, MANAGER, INSTALLATION ENERGY AND UTILITIES, via e-mail at STEPHEN.CASSIDY@US.AF.MIL by 24 APRIL 2025. The response files shall be in Microsoft Word or PDF format not exceeding ten (8.5 inches x 11 inches) pages and 15 Megabytes. Facsimile submissions will not be accepted. Cover letters and extraneous materials (brochures, pamphlets, etc.) will not be considered. The Government will analyze the submitted information and determine among other things the most appropriate generation technology and acquisition strategy.