The Dawn of Data | Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Published by Virginia's state economic development agency, this article details how Virginia became the world's largest data center hub, with Northern Virginia alone hosting over 100 hyperscale facilities. It documents the aggressive tax incentive packages (sales and use tax exemptions requiring $150M+ investment and 50 jobs), streamlined local approval processes, and utility partnerships with Dominion Energy that fueled this concentration. Useful for advocates seeking to understand the industry-government coordination model that data center developers hold up as ideal, including workforce pipeline programs and renewable energy purchase agreements used to burnish the industry's image.