Services 4 — Global Internet Hub

Research Resources

Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal
Massive data centers with computers processing nearly 70 percent of global digital traffic are gobbling up electricity at a rate officials say is unsustainable unless two things happen: Several hundred miles of new transmission lines must be built, and antiquated coal-powered electricity plants that had been scheduled to go offline will need to keep running to fuel the increasing need for more power. (Washington Post, April 17, 2024)

Hanover OKs 1,200-acre data center project near Ashland
Denver-based Tract, a developer specializing in data centers, is planning a technology park exclusively for data centers northeast of Ashland. Tract representatives said the park would have between 30 and 38 buildings once finished. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 28, 2024)

Digital divide: Data center boom sparks opposition, regulation bids (Virginia Business, March 28, 2024)

North America Data Center Trends H2 2023
Sfate of the Market: Technological innovation is driving record demand despite power constraints. (CBRE, April 2024)

Reports: Quest for Power, Land Banking, Submarket Migration Defines Current Data Center Trends
Unpacking comparative highlights from JLL's just-released "North America Data Center Report | H2 2023" and DatacenterHawk's "4Q 2023 Data Center Market Recap." (Data Center Frontier, February 2024)

North America Data Center Report
The quest for power moves development into new frontiers (JLL report, February 2028)

JLL: NoVa is still nation’s top data center market
The 581 megawatts of capacity leased by energized — or built-out — data centers in Northern Virginia for 2023 represented a new record, according to the JLL report. (March 2024, Virginia Business)

Old Dominion, new data: Data center industry continues expansion
While the data center industry remains most prominent in Northern Virginia, it is picking up steam in many other parts of the state. (Virginia Business, Feb. 28, 2024)

House committee looks beyond data centers to Virginia’s high-tech future (RadioIQ, Feb. 19, 2024)

Northern Va. Year-in-Review: Data centers continue march through region
Data centers continued to dominate, define and, in some cases, shape the arc of Northern Virginia’s 2023 economic story. (March 2024, Virginia Business)

Conceptual plan shows 13 data centers on 622-acre Sandston site
A conceptual plan submitted by Hourigan, the developer, is seeking to rezone 622 acres at the I-295/I-64 interchange in eastern Henrico County envisioning the possibility of as many as 13 data centers (February 2024, Henrico Citizen)

Blackstone Is Building a $25 Billion Empire of Power-Hungry Data Centers
The private equity giant says landlord QTS could be one of its best investments ever — but the resources needed for growth are vast. (January 2024, Bloomberg News)

The Eight Themes That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2024
The AI boom will ripple through the digital infrastructure sector, impacting the availability of space, the supply chain, pricing, cooling, power and design (Data Center Frontier, Jan. 2, 2024)

Virginia data center incentive nears $1B in foregone revenue — in one year
Virginia’s data center tax abatement, a 15-year-old incentive that has played a key role in securing the commonwealth’s position as the nation’s most dense data center market, claimed in fiscal year 2023 alone stood at $932.7 million. (Washington Business Journal)

AWS to expand into Virginia’s Louisa County, planning an $11 billion investment by developing two campuses
The development is part of Amazon’s planned $35 billion investment across the state announced earlier this year. (August 2023, Data Center Dynamics)

AWS Plans $11B Investment For 2 Data Center Campuses In Louisa County, VA by 2040
Located 15 miles west of Greater Richmond, the state capitol, and 15 miles east of Greater Charlottesville, Louisa County is situated between the cities of Richmond, Charlottesville and Fredericksburg. (August 2023, Data Center Frontier)

Economic, Environmental, and Social Impacts of Data Centers in the United States
Including Statewide Impacts for Virginia (PWc report fo the Data Center Coalition: September 2023)

North America Data Center Trends 2023
Northern Virginia’s vacancy rate is 0.94%, the lowest of all U.S. markets. (CBRE report, September 2023)

THE AGE OF BIG DATA: Virginia’s Data Center Infrastructure & Global Reach (Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, March 2023)

Spectrum launches high-speed internet network in growing Isle of Wight

More than 900 homes and businesses in Isle of Wight County now have access to internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit-per-second from a new Spectrum project. (Virginian-Pilot, September 2023)

George Mason, Amazon Web Services team up for data center engineering course
The course, coming out of Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, aims to introduce students to data center infrastructure design, operations, efficiency, cooling and decarbonization. (July 2023, Washington Business Journal)

Amazon Has Spent $52 Billion And Counting On Northern Virginia Data Centers
Amazon has invested nearly $52 billion in data centers in Virginia since 2011, according to a new report from the company. The figure includes capital investments as well as operating expenses for the tech behemoth’s data centers in the commonwealth. (June 2023)

The Future of Subsea Cables
We’ll need larger, more efficient subsea cable systems in more places to meet growing demand for global bandwidth (July 2023)

Global Interconnection Index 2023
Measuring the Growth of the Global Digital Economy (Equinix, July 2023)

King George rezoning would make Birchwood area 'data center central’
A new proposal near Fredericksburg could bring attention to the property on a national scale as part of the largest data center complex in the United States. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, July 2023)

State of the Network 2022
Global Bandwidth: A Very Demanding Industry

On cloud nine: Virginia is world’s data center capital, reaping billions
More than 70% of the world’s internet traffic comes through Data Center Alley — six square miles in Loudoun’s Ashburn area. (Virginia Business, April 2023)

How the U.S. is pushing China out of the internet’s plumbing
Experts say the subsea cable market is in danger of dividing into eastern and western blocs amid fears of espionage and geopolitical tensions (Fiancial Times, June 2023)

Data center park headed for Surry County
A Middleburg developer plans to build at least 30 data centers on a 641-acre plot next to the Surry Nuclear Power Station in Surry County, with the possibility of a hydrogen and nuclear-powered green energy production facility in the future (Virginia Business, April 2023)

Data center boom prompts Fairfax County to take new look at rules, environmental impacts
As Northern Virginia continues to cement its position as a global base for data centers, Fairfax County leaders say the time has come to reevaluate the impact of the facilities and, potentially, set some boundaries for the future. (FFX Now, May 2023)

Northern Va. is the heart of the internet. Not everyone is happy about that.
Northern Virginia is home to about 275 data centers, handling at least a third of the world’s online use, with dozens more of the massive structures either under construction or planned as local officials seek to tap into the hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue generated (Washington Post, February 2023)

The New MegaCampuses: The World’s Largest Data Center Projects
Sorting out the largest data centers is a tricky task. But the trend toward larger campuses is undeniable, so we’ve sought to quantify the largest projects in the pipeline, as well as highlight some projects that don’t share details about their scale. (Data Center Frontier, November 2022)

Cloud Is a Catalyst: It’s Also a Competitive Benchmark
Report on the rise of the cloud and data centers (White Paper by Stream Data Centers in 2021)

Green Light for Rapid Research: Area scientists will benefit from coming high speed internet loop
The benefits of the Regional Fiber Ring in Hampton Roads will have on Jeferson Lab’s scientific research and Old Dominion University. (WAVY TV station, February 2023).

2023 Global Data Center Market Comparison by Cushman & Wakefield
Hyperscale tenants continued their relentless expansion across regions, with specific interest toward secondary and emerging markets. Colocation providers and developers have followed suit, driven by higher availability and lower prices for both power and land.

Hillsboro's Rising Profile Reflects Hyperscale Shift to Regional Markets
A new report touts the meteoric growth of the data center district in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland that has been embraced by hyperscale operators as an ideal site for sustainable development. (DataCenter Frontier, February 2023)

VCU poised to train state's growing fiber optic, data workforce
VCU is situated to train the workforce elected officials hope will come to Virginia and to research the industry’s future. (RTD February 2023)

North America Data Center Trends H1 2022
Record Demand Fuels Surge in North American Data Center Development (CBRE Research, October 2022)

Spotlight: Virginia Beach as a growing interconnectivity hub
Date Centre Magazine: The Virginia Beach data centre ecosystem is rapidly expanding, with key players like PointOne increasing interconnectivity and advancing infrastructure

Virginia's data center tax incentive sets new record
The state forgoes sales and use taxes on qualifying computer equipment, enabling software and other hardware found in data centers. In fiscal 2022, which ended June 30, that amounted to $135.9 million, according to Virginia’s recently released Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, $10 million more than in fiscal year 2021 and $70 million more than fiscal 2017.

Virginia Beach company to operate Southside Hampton Roads fiber-optic ring
The Southside Network Authority signed an interim agreement for a public-private partnership with Global Technical Systems (GTS) for the operations, maintenance, and marketing of the regional connectivity ring.

Decade in Review: Top U.S. Data Center Sales & Development
Richmond-Tidewater among Top 10 U.S. Data Center Markets by New Space Added

The Future is here
Video: When it comes to revolutionizing global internet infrastructure, Henrico is paving the way. Just how will amaze you.

Video Introduction to PointOne’s NAP of Virginia Beach (September 2022)

Virginia Beach: A New Hub Is Born
2019 industry article about what the subsea cables in Virginia Beach means.

Video: MAREA and BRUSA the largest subsea capacity for worldwide communications

Video: MAREA, cutting edge technology to enable superfast communication

Map showing the cable route from Virginia Beach to Henrico County
Metro Fiber Networks’ map showing a network of over 200 route miles of high count fiber reaching from the Cable Landing Station in Virginia Beach to QTS Richmond NAP

Globalinx to add new subsea cable landing site in Va. Beach (May 2022)
Virginia Business magazine article on the four subsea pipes to be completed in 2023

Virginia Data Centers: Ashburn, Loudoun, and Beyond
Virginia’s immense data center presence has been driven by many factors including cost-effective power and dense network connectivity. (Dgtl Infra, August 2022)

The Economic Development Potential of the MAREA and BRUSA Undersea Fiber Optic Cables
This 2017 report provides a detailed assessment of the economic development potential of at least two international undersea fiber optic cables.

IESE Cities in Motion Index. University of Navarra Business School, 2020
Report details how the CIMI is determined - its uses/limits. Referenced by Cushman & Wakefield’s Data Center Global Market Comparison as one of their categories for ranking markets.

Data Center Global Market Comparison. Cushman & Wakefield, 2021
Compares 48 global markets using 13 ranking categories. Contains methodology details referenced in their 2022 report (also linked in this list).

Data Center Global Market Comparison. Cushman & Wakefield, 2022.
Compares 55 global markets using the same 13 ranking categories detailed in their 2021 report.

Data Center Update. Americas: United States and Canada. Cushman & Wakefield, Winter 2021
Details market updates on 11 major North American markets (nine in United States and two in Canada).

U.S. Real Estate Market Outlook. Intelligent Investment, 2022
Includes section on Data Center real estate market with a focus on primary markets.

Five Data Center Predictions for 2022. Uptime Institute, 2022
Report highlights trend toward zero-carbon emissions among other predictions.

Global Data Center Survey 2021: Growth Stretches an Evolving Sector. 2021, Uptime Institute, 2021
Details growth of data center market, including challenges of sustainability, maintenance of staff levels, and the building out of edge data center capacity.

Data Center Retail Sales & Use Tax Exemption. Virginia Economic Development Partnership, 2022
Document explaining and detailing Virginia’s tax exemptions for data centers.

Prince William County, Virginia Data Centers Environmental Impacts. National Parks Conservation Association, April 29, 2022
Article with link to report indicating that two proposed data centers in Prince William County could have extensive negative impacts on waterways and national parks.

A Fight Overturning a “Rural Crescent” in Northern Virginia into a Hub for Data Centers. The Washington Post, January 15, 2022
Article detailing the controversy surrounding the expansion of data centers into rural areas in Northern Virginia.

Culpeper Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Amazon Data Center. Culpeper Times, March 17, 2022
Article detailing the denial of data center in Stevensburg partially due to the potential negative impact on the surrounding community.

NAP of Virginia Beach. PointOne
Webpage promoting the plan for a network access point (NAP) in Virginia Beach.

Preparing Infrastructure for Additional Subsea Cables in Virginia Beach. Submarine Telecoms Magazine, 2021
Report detailing how Virginia Beach is becoming “a digital port city”.

Why Marseille Became a Top 10 International Internet Hub in Just Five Years. ITP, July 30, 2019
Article on how Marseille, France leveraged their location to become a global data center market.

Our Ambition 2025 Strategic Plan. France Data Center, 2020
Translated webpage outlining France’s strategic plan to accelerate the growth of the data center industry.

The Colossal Future Cloud: Land Deals Hint at Even Larger Data Centers. Data Center Frontier, January 18, 2021
Article outlining the purchase of land in Mecklenburg County by Microsoft for data center.

Renewable Energy Alone Can’t Address Data Centers’ Adverse Environmental Impact. Forbes, May 3, 2021
Opinion article arguing that data centers need to improve their efficiency, not just switch to renewable energy, to be environmentally friendly.

Extreme Weather Affects Nearly Half of Data Centers. Uptime Institute, March 15, 2021
Brief article referencing the larger report The Gathering Storm: Climate Change and Data Center Resiliency, which is behind a paywall.

Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program Brochure, Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Brochure outlining Virginia’s investment to expand their tech talent pipeline.

Microsoft files for permit to build data center campus in Mecklenburg County, Virginia
Company is looking to build three data center building outside South Hill, around 20 miles from existing Boydton campus

Prince William could steal Loudoun’s title of Data Center Alley. But land use battles are raging.
Prince William County may be on its way to taking the “Data Center Alley” title from neighboring Loudoun County

Exploring the New Wave of Subsea Cables to North America
2019 Webinar: Telegeography presents an overview of the recent and upcoming subsea cables landing into North America.

Virginia Beach Next step to a meshed Atlantic infrastructure
2016 article about Virginia Beach’s plans

The Atlantic 2017: an infrastructure analysis
With two new cables being built, the Atlantic is another step closer to gradually changing the physical infrastructure between Europe and North America.