Federal Data Center Enhancement Act of 2023

HR 5218, the Federal Data Center Enhancement Act of 2023, extends the expiration date of the Federal Data Center Optimization Initiative from 2022 to 2026. It requires federal agencies to meet new minimum standards for any new data centers or substantial upgrades, including sustainable energy use, cybersecurity protections, physical security, and high uptime. Agencies must prioritize commercial cloud services over custom infrastructure and report compliance to Congress. The bill mandates annual GAO audits to verify agencies meet these standards for both new and existing data centers. This directly affects all federal agencies managing data centers by setting concrete operational and security requirements.