Data Center Boom in Virginia’s ‘Data Center Alley’ Raises Infrastructure Concerns

WASHINGTON, September 16, 2025 — The concentration of more than 143 data centers in Virginia’s Loudoun County is creating unprecedented demands on the nation’s power grid and raising questions about infrastructure resilience, according to an analysis presented during a recent broadband event.

Drew Clark, CEO and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast, outlined the mounting challenges facing Ashburn, commonly known as “data center alley,” which handles a significant portion of global internet traffic just 30 miles from Washington, D.C.

“Data centers consume about 4% of American electricity right now,” Clark said during the Wednesday webinar. “But there’s some projections that that could rise to 12%. You know, tripling of electricity use in the next 5 years.”

The dramatic growth in computing demands, driven largely by artificial intelligence applications, has forced technology companies to reconsider their energy strategies. Major hyperscalers like Google recently announced partnerships with nuclear power plants after acknowledging that renewable energy alone cannot meet their expanding needs.

Clark emphasized that successful data center operations require what he calls four essential elements: physical land, fiber connectivity, electricity and water. “You really need all four elements,” he said. “You need that plot of land, the earth, right? You need those multiple redundant and high-capacity fiber lines into and out of the data center. Electricity, right? You need lots of it. Lots and lots of electricity to power the data centers and water.”

The concentration of critical infrastructure in one geographic area could present significant security risk, Clark said. “What is the impact of that proximity of so many of the data centers upon our ability to access the internet?” he asked, noting concerns about both natural disasters and potential targeted attacks.

The energy demands have created a complex political dynamic around power generation. While technology companies initially promised to power their operations with renewable energy, Clark noted they “had to backtrack on that in the last year and a half, two years,” acknowledging they cannot meet data center demand “with just renewables.”

Nuclear power is experiencing a renaissance as a result, with former facilities like Three Mile Island being renamed and repurposed for data center use. “Nuclear checks a couple of boxes; it uses sources of energy that do not create the greenhouse gas emissions that come from coal,” Clark explained.

The infrastructure challenges extend beyond individual facilities to the broader internet architecture. Clark highlighted the need for more internet exchange points across the country, noting that “a large number of states in the United States have no internet exchange point at all.”

The data center boom has significant economic implications. The ecosystem’s growth comes with substantial infrastructure trade-offs that communities and policymakers are still learning to navigate.

As the industry continues expanding, the balance between technological advancement and infrastructure sustainability remains a critical challenge for regions like Ashburn that serve as the backbone of America’s digital economy.