Data Centers in Charlotte

Charlotte – Resilient, Low-Cost Digital Hub

Charlotte is a primary digital infrastructure hub for the Southeastern United States, ideal for enterprises requiring low-latency connectivity to East Coast markets without the higher costs of Northern Virginia. The market’s combination of attractive tax incentives, low disaster risk, and a reliable power grid makes it a strategic location for production workloads and disaster recovery sites that demand high uptime and predictable operating expenses.

Charlotte: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Charlotte offers a strong and competitive connectivity environment, serving as a key interconnection point between Atlanta and the data center hub of Ashburn, Virginia.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Over 25 unique fiber providers operate in the Charlotte market, as of September 2025. The region supports a healthy ecosystem of carrier-neutral data centers, providing ample choice for network services.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: The market features over 1 direct cloud on-ramp, enabling low-latency hybrid cloud architectures, as of September 2025. Local access is available to Cloudflare.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): While major public peering is often routed through nearby hubs like Atlanta, local traffic exchange is efficient. Most interconnection occurs via private peering arrangements within carrier-neutral facilities.

Bare Metal: Bare metal server capacity is readily available from multiple providers in the Charlotte area. Options include global providers like phoenixNAP for enterprises needing dedicated, high-performance computing.

Power Analysis

Power in Charlotte is both reliable and cost-effective, a significant advantage for dense compute deployments.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity rates typically range from $0.07 to $0.09 per kWh, as of September 2025. This competitive pricing helps lower the total cost of ownership for data center operations. The state's power mix is dominated by nuclear (33%) and natural gas (42%), contributing to stable pricing.

Power Grid Reliability: The electrical grid serving Charlotte's primary data center zones is well-engineered and supported by multiple substations. The infrastructure is designed to support the uptime requirements of critical facilities.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Charlotte provides a favorable business environment with excellent market reach and compelling tax advantages for technology infrastructure.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are located with convenient access to Charlotte's central business district, a major US financial hub. This proximity serves banking, healthcare, and technology firms that require low-latency connections to their core operations.

Regional Market Reach: From Charlotte, organizations can effectively serve a large portion of the Southeastern US population with low latency. It is a strategic midpoint for reaching consumers and business partners from Florida to the Mid-Atlantic.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: North Carolina offers substantial tax exemptions that directly reduce capital and operational expenses. The state provides a sales and use tax exemption on data center electricity and qualifying equipment, significantly improving the financial case for building or leasing infrastructure.

Natural Disaster Risk

Charlotte has a very low risk profile for natural disasters, making it one of the safer locations for critical infrastructure on the East Coast.

The region has a FEMA National Risk Index score of 14.70 (Very Low), as of September 2025. The primary environmental risks to consider are severe storms and their associated effects. Key hazards include tornado, severe wind, lightning, hail, and riverine flooding. Risks from earthquake and hurricane events, while present, are significantly lower than in other coastal or seismically active regions.