The Story
Ashburn is The Data Center Capital Of The World.
But why?
Ashburn, Virginia is in the center of the East Coast which helps it serve cities up and down without significant latency. It's also 30 minutes away from Washington, D.C; an area with a strong economy with organizations that rely heavily on data centers like government agencies, defense contractors, and large tech companies.
It’s safe. The uptime of data centers is crucial and Northern Virginia sees few natural disasters.
The area has consistent and cheap energy for data centers.
When the data centers were built, Ashburn had an abundance of land.
Ashburn also has incredible connectivity. In the 90s, the area became home to one of the first Internet Exchanges in North America. This resulted in more fiber and dark fiber network connectivity than anywhere else. Today, there are also undersea cables, connecting the region to the world.
The area offers favorable tax incentives, with a data center-friendly business climate, a talented workforce, and convenient access to transportation.
