Google Inc. will spend $9 billion expanding its data center operations across Virginia, including a major new campus at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield County. Additional growth is planned at the company’s two Loudoun County campuses and its Prince William County site, reinforcing Virginia’s position as the epicenter of global digital infrastructure.
Governor Glenn Youngkin joined Google executives for the announcement at Brightpoint Community College, praising the scale of the investment. “Nine billion dollars, that’s not a small number,” Youngkin said. “This is a commitment to opportunity, jobs, education, preparation, and the skills and talent that define Virginia’s future.”
New Chesterfield Campus
The Chesterfield project will begin with a single building on a 300-acre site along Bermuda Hundred Road. Final details on building size, energy draw, and water usage have not been released, but hyperscale data centers of this type typically take 18 to 24 months to complete.
While Chesterfield County is not providing financial incentives, it has agreed to refund Google the difference if it raises its current 24-cent per $100 server tax rate in the future. Google will also cover the costs of additional water infrastructure if usage exceeds agreed levels, an important consideration given the millions of gallons data centers can require for cooling.
Energy and Cooling Infrastructure
The Meadowville site will connect to Dominion Energy’s regional grid, where other large-scale facilities are also rising. Nearby, Chirisa Technology Parks and PowerHouse Data Centers are building the Digital Drive campus, a five-building complex totaling more than 600,000 square feet and backed by 300 megawatts of secured power from a new Meadowville substation.
Local facilities such as Chirisa CTP-01 already support racks drawing up to 80 kilowatts with direct liquid cooling, and Google is expected to deploy similar high-efficiency systems. Globally, the company operates with an average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.12, with top-performing sites reaching 1.09, making its data centers among the most efficient in the world. The company has actively dealt with the challenges that face the development of data centers with regards to power and water.
Workforce and Education Commitments
In addition to infrastructure, Google is investing in education and workforce training. The company will offer free access to AI tools and Google Career Certificates at Brightpoint Community College, the University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, and Northern Virginia Community College. All Virginia college students will also be eligible for a free program to build AI skills.
“We are deepening our roots here in Virginia,” said Ruth Porat, Google’s president and chief investment officer. “We’re investing in the community, the future, and positioning Virginia and America to lead in technology and AI.”
Virginia as the Global Data Center Capital
Virginia already hosts the majority of the world’s internet traffic through Loudoun County’s “Data Center Alley.” Amazon Web Services has also announced a $35 billion plan to expand across the state by 2040. The state leads in the race to attract data center investments between states in the USA.
For Chesterfield County, which has rezoned industrial land for large-scale data centers since 2018, Google’s entry represents both new tax revenue and validation of its strategy to attract high-tech employers while minimizing impacts on residential neighborhoods.
