Walled in By AI Giants in World’s Data Center Capital

Data centers have long been a financial boon for Northern Virginia, home to the largest market on the planet. But the industry’s sprawling and loosely regulated footprint hasn’t just gobbled up land. New hulking facilities increasingly butt up against schools, playgrounds and people’s backyards, and are changing the community landscape in some areas.

In Loudoun County — at the heart of the world’s data center capital — tensions between two housing developments that will soon be boxed in by data centers highlight growing community resistance to the industry’s unfettered growth. Meanwhile, attempts to pass more stringent regulations offer lessons for places whose future might soon look like the region’s. Read more from me today on CityLab: The World’s Data Center Capital Has Residents Surrounded