US To Lease State Land For Local Data Centers Amid AI Infrastructure Push

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 15, 2025

In his final days in office, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the large-scale construction of data centers across the country, particularly for the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Under the new directive, the federal government will lease state land for the establishment of infrastructure vital to the nation’s ongoing technological leadership, particularly in AI.

Key Facts

The executive order requires federal agencies to speed up the creation of large-scale AI infrastructure on state-owned land, with provisions in place to ensure investor responsibility.
The US Department of Defense and the Department of Energy will each designate at least three sites where the private sector can build data centers.
Competitive bidding processes will be held for private companies, which will be tasked with covering all costs related to construction and operation.
Investors will also be required to ensure that the data centers are powered by clean energy to meet their full operational capacity.
While the federal government will lease the land, companies will retain ownership of the materials and infrastructure they develop on the land.
The order mandates that the construction of AI-focused data centers on federal land be carried out through public works contracts.

Important Quote

“We must not take our leadership position for granted. We will not allow the United States to be overtaken when it comes to the technologies that will define the future, nor must we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water,” said President Biden.

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Key Story

This move comes just a day after the announcement of new rules governing the sharing of AI chips and models with foreign countries. These regulations aim to control global access to US-developed AI chips and technologies, ensuring that sensitive AI applications remain under US control. The new rules are focused on regulating the export of American-made chips and AI technologies, pivotal to the most advanced AI developments.

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Cyprus Permit Delays Can Add €61,000 To The Cost Of A New Home

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

August 25, 2026

Housing affordability in Cyprus is being affected not only by property prices, construction costs and interest rates, but also by delays in securing planning and building permits. For developers, years of waiting can add millions of euros to project costs and tens of thousands of euros to the price of an individual home.

Property Prices And Rents Continue To Rise

House prices in Cyprus rose 3.4% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat, leaving prices about 50% above their 2015 level. Rents have also continued to increase, with the Cyprus Statistical Service reporting annual growth accelerating from 2.5% in January to 4.5% in April.

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Strong demand and limited supply are adding pressure to both markets. Delays earlier in the development cycle can further restrict the number of homes reaching the market.

Four-Year Delay Adds €6.3 Million To Project Costs

A recent analysis by Yiannis Misirlis, chairman of the Cyprus Land and Building Developers Association, illustrates the financial impact. The example involves a 125-apartment project with €7 million allocated to land and an estimated €25 million for construction, bringing the initial cost to €32 million.

If permits are secured within six months, the average sale price would be about €307,000 per apartment. A four-year permitting delay, however, would add about €1.7 million in financing costs tied to the land, €800,000 in additional overheads and €3.8 million from construction cost inflation.

Combined, those costs would add about €6.3 million to the project without increasing the developer’s profit. The average apartment price would rise to about €368,000, adding roughly €61,000 to each unit.

Delays Also Affect Rental Supply

Higher development costs can affect renters as well as buyers. When projects are delayed, fewer homes enter the market over a given period, limiting supply while demand continues to grow.

Build-to-rent projects face the same pressures from land costs, financing, overheads and construction inflation. Developers may ultimately pass some of those additional costs through to rents.

Government Moves To Increase Housing Supply

Reducing permitting times would not require weaker planning controls or construction standards. More predictable approval timelines would instead allow developers and investors to plan projects with greater certainty and reduce the costs associated with prolonged delays.

The Ministry of Interior has introduced planning incentives and additional building coefficients that are expected to support the construction of more than 2,500 homes over the next two years. The measures are intended to increase housing supply in a market where demand remains strong.

Permitting Delays Have A Direct Financial Cost

For developers, longer approval periods increase financing and overhead costs while exposing projects to higher construction prices. Those costs can ultimately affect sale prices, rents and the number of homes that reach the market.

Cyprus’ housing affordability challenge therefore extends beyond land and construction costs. The time required to move a project from planning to construction can also determine how much buyers and renters eventually pay.

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