Abstract: Major scientific and technological infrastructure is an important part of the national scientific and technological innovation system. How to optimise the layout and construction of major scientific and technological infrastructures in order to promote facilities to better serve cutting-edge basic scientific research and breakthroughs in key core technologies is a key issue that needs to be resolved in the field of S&T policy in China at present. The major scientific and technological infrastructure of the U.S. Department of Energy is an important material and technological carrier for the U.S. to carry out basic and applied basic research, and it is an indispensable core force for the U.S. to participate in the world scientific and technological competition. The synchrotron light source is the major scientific and technological infrastructure with the largest number of distributions and the widest range of applications in the world. By focusing on the synchrotron light source, which is a typical application-supporting major scientific and technological infrastructure, the study thoroughly researched and systematically analysed the layout characteristics and construction experience of the major scientific and technological infrastructures of the U.S. Department of Energy. The study finds that the U.S. Department of Energy presents four typical features in the process of laying out synchrotron radiation light sources, one is to maintain the diversification of energy regions and technology generations in order to promote the facilities to better meet the research needs of users of different types and fields; the second is to take national laboratories as the supporting units of the facilities, these facilities are managed by Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory; thirdly, the facilities are not only open to international users and domestic users in the U.S., but also pay special attention to take into account the research needs of regional users in the U.S. Fourthly, it attaches great importance to upgrading and reconstruction of the facilities, which not only allows the facilities to better meet the research needs of the users, but also reduces the pressure on the financial expenses of the DOE and other facilities management and support units. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy in the construction of synchrotron light sources in the process of the formation of two distinctive experience, one focuses on strategic planning to lead the construction of facilities to continuously meet the user's diversified and dynamic research needs; the second is to actively guide the industry to participate in the construction of the facility, which will help to promote the diversification of the main body of the facility investment in the construction of the facility, but also allows the facility to more effectively meet the industry's research needs. The conclusions of the study have important policy reference value for China's forward-looking layout and efficient construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure, firstly, we should pay attention to the layout and construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure by way of strategic planning, secondly, the layout and construction of the facilities should fully take into account the research needs of regional and industrial users, and thirdly, the layout and construction of the facilities should adhere to the combination of new construction and upgrading and reconstruction.