New Governor, Same Demand Curve: Will Policy Shift How Virginia Supports Data Centers?
A 30-Year Head Start Northern Virginia’s rise began in the 1990s when early internet exchange points clustered around D.C. and spilled into Loudoun and Fairfax counties. That interconnection density attracted carriers, then colocation operators (notably the first large Equinix campus in Ashburn), and later hyperscalers. State and county policy reinforced the flywheel: a long-standing sales-and-use tax exemption on qualifying data center equipment, comparatively efficient permitting in business-friendly counties, and a deep bench of fiber, construction, and facilities talent created compounding network effects. Power, Proximity, and Policy Two ingredients then scaled the advantage. First, low-latency proximity to the federal government
