Data Centers in Seattle

Seattle – West Coast Hub for Cloud & Connectivity

Seattle is a premier North American data center market, purpose-built for enterprises requiring low-latency access to major cloud providers and connectivity to Asia-Pacific. Its combination of dense interconnection, direct cloud on-ramps, and access to low-cost hydropower makes it a strategic location for optimizing high-performance computing and global application delivery. This unique blend drives down operational costs while improving uptime for a global audience.

Seattle: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Seattle is one of the most connected cities in North America, serving as a critical gateway between the United States and Asia. The market's history as a technology and cloud hub has created a mature and dense interconnection environment.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality With over 60 carriers operating in the metro area as of July 2025, Seattle provides deep and diverse connectivity options. The market features numerous carrier-neutral facilities, giving businesses flexibility and competitive pricing for transit, transport, and peering.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps With over 4 dedicated cloud on-ramps as of July 2025, Seattle provides direct, private access to major platforms including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud. This concentration supports multi-cloud architectures across 12 cloud regions, ensuring low-latency and secure hybrid IT environments.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) The ecosystem is anchored by the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX), one of the world's largest non-profit IXPs. The SIX facilitates low-latency, cost-effective traffic exchange between hundreds of networks, significantly improving regional performance.

Bare Metal Bare metal solutions are widely available from providers like Hivelocity and phoenixNAP, offering dedicated compute for performance-sensitive workloads that require direct hardware access.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power Seattle offers some of the most competitive power pricing in North America, with industrial rates averaging $0.05/kWh as of July 2025. This significantly reduces the total cost of ownership for high-density deployments. The grid is predominantly powered by renewable hydropower (~67%), making it a strong choice for achieving sustainability goals.

Power Grid Reliability The power grid serving the primary data center corridors is well-engineered and reliable. Major facilities are typically supported by redundant feeds from multiple substations to ensure high levels of uptime for mission-critical operations.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts Data centers are strategically located to serve the dense technology hubs in downtown Seattle, South Lake Union, and the Eastside (including Bellevue and Redmond). This proximity provides low-latency connectivity for headquarters and development teams at major cloud and software companies.

Regional Market Reach Seattle acts as the primary digital hub for the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Its strategic location and rich subsea cable connectivity also make it an essential gateway for businesses connecting to markets across Asia-Pacific.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers Washington offers a significant financial incentive through its sales and use tax exemption for qualifying data center equipment and construction. This program directly lowers the upfront capital expenditure and ongoing hardware refresh costs for tenants and operators.

Natural Disaster Risk

Seattle has a High natural disaster risk profile, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 93.22 as of July 2025. Key risks for the region are driven by its location in a seismically active zone. The primary hazards include Earthquake, Volcanic Activity, Wildfire, Landslide, Strong Wind, and Coastal Flooding.