Source: The New York Times
Virginia's largest data center hub has restricted new construction after years of rapid expansion. The move reflects friction between digital economy needs and local quality of life: power grid strain, water consumption, noise, and land use changes that residents oppose. Despite massive tax contributions, data centers now face real political costs. Hyperscalers and cloud providers will need to adjust siting strategies—building in areas with less organized resistance, investing in smaller distributed facilities, or consolidating in existing mega-campuses elsewhere.