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Northern Virginia

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Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the United States. This extremely mature and well-connected area traces its roots to the U.S. Government’s experiments in wide area fiber optic networking in the late 1960s. The low-latency connections to the national fiber network backbone along with a relatively business-friendly environment make Northern Virginia the top market for data centers serving the area’s biggest public and private enterprises.

Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the United States for the following reasons:

1. Competitive Colocation/Cloud Environment – The Northern Virginia market has the largest presence of colocation and cloud providers in the United States, creating a very competitive environment

2. Strategic Location – The Northern Virginia market provides a strategic, cost-effective market for companies needing their data center in the northeastern United States

3. Relatively Free of Natural Disasters – Other than occasional high winds and rain from hurricane remnants, the Northern Virginia market is typically very safe

4. Reasonable Power Cost – Northern Virginia’s power costs are competitive among major colocation markets and is reasonable considering the total cost of occupancy for long-term requirements

5. Business Climate – Despite some economic challenges in Virginia over the past few years, the area’s businesses continue to grow, creating data center requirements for the market

The Northern Virginia data centre market is known for its large-scale development. The data centre users within this market typically require robust infrastructure, runway for adjacent expansion, and favourable economic terms to match their commitments from a size and growth standpoint. Data centre providers generally seek the support of Loudoun County and other local Virginia governments, where they receive incentives in the form of permitting aid or tax abatements. The region’s digital ecosystem and fibre reach are two primary factors behind its explosive growth. Northern Virginia is one of several anchor points of the worldwide internet. An estimated 70% of the world’s internet traffic runs through Northern Virginia. No other region has more data centre facilities, data centre providers, or access to major cloud providers.