The continued growth and evolution of the digital economy remains a driver for strong data center growth and development throughout Virginia. As reported in a March 2021 Virginia Business article, a new dark fiber network is expected to expand opportunities for data center development in strategic Virginia locations.

This new 680-mile regional fiber optic network will connect the large concentration of existing data centers in Northern Virginia to the Virginia Beach cable landing station and, in turn, provide access to the subsea, intercontinental high-speed internet cables running to Europe and South America.

This advancement only deepens Virginia’s already prominent and well-established role in the global data center industry. As it is completed, this new fiber optic network creates more options for data center sites in Virginia.

Our dedicated data center team at McGuireWoods is well-versed on this evolution of the data center industry in Virginia and across the United States and can assist in evaluating and responding to public policy, land acquisition, land use planning and permitting issues and opportunities with data center development.