Northern Virginia, make way: Data Center Alley in Loudoun County is no longer the only major digital infrastructure hub in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Tens of billions of investment dollars—along with subsea cables, fiber routes, Internet exchanges, and large-scale data center campuses—are turning Central Virginia and Greater Richmond into the world’s next interconnection hot spot.
Only 120 miles from Ashburn, Virginia, Central Virginia’s Internet infrastructure will be to the 21st century economy what Interstate 95 was to the 20th century economy: revolutionary. The growth in digital infrastructure in Central Virginia over the last few years has already been extraordinary. The Pixel Factory Data Center helped plant the seed for the innovation and Internet exchange in this region. Its location in Hanover County, just north of Richmond, offered many pro-business incentives, support from the economic development office, and easy access to local government officials. What started as a US-focused client base has since developed an international footprint and the largest concentration of fiber in the area. This development was soon followed by the landing of the MAREA, BRUSA, and DUNANT cables into the QTS Network Access Point southeast of Richmond, which furthered the location’s reputation as an emerging interconnection hub with the potential for low latency and high capacity. Shortly thereafter in the same area, Meta built their White Oak Technology Park (WOTP) campus, and DE-CIX added its fifth United States exchange.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott K. Brown is President of the Pixel Factory Data Center, which resides in a regional Tier 2 market where growth is accelerating rapidly, just outside of Richmond, VA. The facility hosts new connectivity and data center builds with subsea cable passing through the region. The Pixel Factory’s niche market works with companies of all sizes and business sectors. Brown’s goal is to have this unique facility with exceptional personal on-site customer service.
Anthony Romanello became Executive Director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority in March 2019. For more than 29 years, he has served local governments in Virginia to ensure a positive environment for businesses and residents.
