Data Centers in Virginia

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Grok Talk:

Data Centers…

Virginia has the largest concentration of data centers in the United States (and the densest cluster in the world), with estimates varying by source and definition (operating facilities vs. campuses/projects including planned/under construction). 

Approximate Numbers (as of mid-to-late 2026 data)

•  Operating/operational: Commonly cited in the 300–370+ range. One detailed tracker (Cleanview, updated August 2026) lists 371 operating facilities with ~17,378 MW capacity. Statista reported 320 operational for 2026. Other trackers put operational figures around 221–376 depending on methodology. 

•  Total tracked (operating + planned/under construction): Often 600–800+. Cleanview lists 817 total (371 operating + 440 planned). Other sources cite figures such as ~651 listed facilities, 663 operational + hundreds planned, or similar ranges in the high hundreds. 

•  Virginia consistently ranks #1 in the U.S. for number of data centers, ahead of Texas and California. Capacity and power demand are enormous and growing rapidly due to cloud computing and AI.

Exact counts fluctuate because there is no single official registry—trackers differ on what counts as a distinct facility vs. a multi-building campus, and new projects are announced frequently.

Primary Locations

The overwhelming majority are in Northern Virginia (“Data Center Alley”), centered on:

•  Loudoun County (especially Ashburn and Sterling) — the core and densest area, often called the data center capital of the world. Ashburn alone hosts a very large share.

•  Prince William County (Manassas, Gainesville, Bristow, Haymarket areas).

•  Fairfax County (Herndon, Reston, Chantilly, and nearby).

Growth is expanding outward due to land/power constraints and local pushback in core areas:

•  Stafford, Spotsylvania, Hanover, Culpeper, and other nearby counties.

•  Greater Richmond area (Henrico and surrounding).

•  Some presence farther out (e.g., parts of central/southern Virginia, Hampton Roads/Norfolk area, and emerging sites in other regions).

Loudoun has historically held the largest share (tens of millions of square feet), followed by Prince William and Fairfax, with Richmond-area growth accelerating. 

Data Flow / Internet Traffic

Northern Virginia (particularly the Ashburn corridor) is a major global internet hub due to dense fiber networks, historical internet exchange points (e.g., early MAE-East peering), proximity to government/enterprise demand, and extensive interconnection infrastructure.

•  A widely repeated claim is that ~70% of the world’s internet traffic passes through Northern Virginia/Data Center Alley. This figure is frequently cited by officials, industry, and media. 

•  More careful analyses suggest the true share is significantly lower (estimates in the range of ~20–35% of global traffic or capacity in some studies), though still the single largest concentration. Virginia accounts for a substantial portion of North American data center capacity (often cited around 25% or more in regional terms). 

The region’s advantages include massive fiber density, low-latency interconnection between providers/hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and many others have major presence), reliable power historically, tax incentives, and available land. This creates a self-reinforcing ecosystem: more traffic and interconnection attract more facilities, which attract more traffic.

Note: Numbers and capacity continue to change quickly with AI-driven demand. Power grid constraints, transmission upgrades, local permitting, water use, and community opposition are major ongoing issues shaping where new capacity can locate. For the most current project-level maps, sources like Cleanview, DataCenterMap, or local government trackers are useful.

Cleanview’s main data centers page for Virginia is:

https://cleanview.co/data-centers/virginia

There’s also a public version at:

https://cleanview.co/public/data-centers/virginia

These pages include maps, project lists, operating vs. planned facilities, capacity figures, and related details (last noted as updated around August 2026).

If you’ve gotten this far:

Largest Operating Facilities

Examples of the biggest operating sites (primarily in Loudoun County / Northern Virginia “Data Center Alley”):

•  Digital Realty IAD39 — 243 MW (Loudoun, Digital Realty, operational 2019)

•  CyrusOne NVA5 — 202 MW (Loudoun, CyrusOne, 2019)

•  CloudHQ LC1B / LC1A — 189 MW each (Loudoun, CloudHQ)

•  Digital Realty IAD51 — 177 MW (Manassas City, Digital Realty, 2025)

•  Digital Realty IAD41 — 175 MW (Loudoun, 2020)

•  Cologix ASH1 — 168 MW (Loudoun, 2026)

•  Aligned IAD02 / IAD03 — 163 MW and 143 MW (Loudoun)

Most of the largest operating capacity remains concentrated in Loudoun County (Ashburn/Sterling area). 

Largest Planned Projects

The pipeline is dominated by very large campuses, many outside the traditional core:

•  Tract Hanover — 2,400 MW (Hanover County, Tract) — largest planned

•  George Washington Village Data Center — 2,100 MW (Stafford County)

•  Oasis Dahlgren West — 1,200 MW (King George County)

•  EdgeCore Shannon Hill Campus — 1,100 MW (Louisa County)

•  Mountain Road Technology Park — 900 MW (Hanover, Tract)

•  CleanArc VA1 Campus — 900 MW (Caroline County)

•  Spring Valley Technology Park — 780 MW (Loudoun)

•  Others in the 400–600+ MW range in Spotsylvania, Fauquier, etc.

Many large planned projects are shifting to counties such as Hanover, Stafford, Louisa, Caroline, Spotsylvania, King George, and Fauquier as Northern Virginia faces land, power, and local constraints. 

Map & Geographic Insights

Cleanview shows an interactive map with:

•  Blue markers = operating

•  Orange markers = planned

•  Marker size scales with reported capacity (only projects with capacity data are sized this way)

The densest cluster is still Loudoun County (Data Center Alley / Ashburn corridor). Significant planned growth appears in surrounding and more rural counties, reflecting spillover from the traditional Northern Virginia core. 

About Cleanview’s Tracker

Cleanview (cleanview.co) focuses on energy transition data, including clean energy projects and data centers as major electricity demand drivers. Their data center database draws from sources such as state environmental/air permits (especially for backup generators), developer announcements, satellite imagery verification of construction status, and other public records. They offer free state-level explorers plus paid/Pro access for full datasets, coordinates, and deeper details. 

Note: Counts and capacities vary across trackers because of different definitions (individual buildings vs. campuses, inclusion of early-stage proposals, capacity reporting methods, etc.). Cleanview’s August 2026 snapshot is among the higher published totals and emphasizes both the massive existing base and an even larger planned pipeline.

You can explore the live map, full lists, and related energy project data directly on their Virginia page.