Data Centers in Virginia

Virginia – The Global Nexus for Digital Infrastructure

Virginia is the primary center of gravity for the global internet, offering the highest density of fiber and subsea connectivity on the East Coast. This market is built for enterprises and hyperscalers that prioritize ultra-low latency to Europe and immediate proximity to the federal core. Choosing this region is a strategic move to ensure maximum throughput and revenue stability.

Virginia: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

The infrastructure in Virginia is engineered for massive throughput. If you are serious about global network performance, this is where you land your hardware.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: over 115 as of September 2025. With a count between 115 and 125 unique carriers, the market provides aggressive competition and highly diverse fiber paths for any colocation requirement.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: Over 10, enabling access to 16 cloud regions as of September 2025. This allows for direct private connections to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud (GCP), Oracle Cloud, and IBM Cloud.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Major exchanges including Equinix IX and LINX NoVA facilitate massive peering volumes. These exchanges keep traffic local, preventing the latency penalties associated with routing through distant hubs.

Bare Metal: High-performance bare metal is readily available for workloads that need dedicated hardware with cloud flexibility. Reliable providers such as Hivelocity and phoenixNAP maintain a strong presence here.

Power Analysis

Virginia provides a reliable and scalable power grid, which is a fundamental reason it hosts the largest data center cluster on earth.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity ranges from $0.07 to $0.11/kWh as of September 2025. These rates provide a direct operational advantage, significantly lowering the total cost of ownership for high-density deployments compared to other Tier 1 markets.

Power Grid Reliability: The grid is well-engineered with multiple substation supports and a sturdy generation base. Reliability is reinforced by a steady mix of natural gas and nuclear generation, ensuring uptime in the Northern Virginia and Richmond corridors.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

The business climate in Virginia is purpose-built to support long-term growth in the digital sector.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers in this region provide immediate access to the federal government core in Washington D.C. and the technology and financial hubs in Richmond. This proximity is vital for low-latency requirements in regulated industries.

Regional Market Reach: This location is the gateway to the U.S. East Coast. It also provides the lowest latency paths to European markets via subsea cable landings in Virginia Beach.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: Virginia offers a significant sales and use tax exemption for data center equipment. This financial benefit reduces the cost of large-scale hardware refreshes and helps companies scale infrastructure without heavy tax burdens.

Natural Disaster Risk

Virginia maintains a stable risk profile, allowing for high-availability operations with fewer geographic concerns than other coastal areas.

Risk Rubric: Moderate (27.17/100) as of September 2025.

Primary Hazards: The natural risks for this region include Earthquake, Heat Wave, Hurricane, Riverine Flooding, and Winter Weather.

Inland Safety: While coastal areas manage subsea landings, the primary data center clusters sit further inland. Risks such as Coastal Flood and Tsunami are minor regional considerations rather than direct threats to most facilities as of September 2025.