Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making a long-term commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia, with an additional $35 billion investment slated for data center expansions that are expected by 2040. With existing locations spread throughout the Commonwealth and numerous localities under consideration, the new expandable campuses will position AWS for sustained growth within the state well into the future.
The investment will reportedly create at least 1,000 new jobs across Virginia. This is the largest economic development capital investment in the history of Virginia. It is also Amazon Web Services’ most important hub, where dozens of data centers will power applications for customers across the Eastern US.
Virginia is working on a new “Mega Data Center Incentive Program” that, if approved by state lawmakers, would let the company get up to 15 more years of Data Center Sales and Use tax exemptions on equipment and software. AWS would also be able to get a state grant of up to $140 million for things like site and infrastructure improvements, workforce development, and other project-related costs.
AWS investment in Virginia
AWS opened its first group of data centers and offices in Virginia in 2006, and it invested $35 billion there from 2011 to 2020. This investment includes buying equipment that is very specialized and can only be used for one purpose, as well as spending money on construction workers and materials, utilities, security, data center employees, and many other services needed to build and operate data centers. These expenditures have a great impact on the State’s economy, bringing direct, indirect, and induced economic benefits.
Currently, AWS is among the largest private-sector employers in Virginia, offering over 8,800 full-time, well-paying jobs in corporate offices and data centers. Datacenter technicians, engineers, solutions architects, sales representatives, account managers, software development engineers, and cloud experts can all find job opportunities here.
As part of its Climate Pledge, AWS is committed to investing in renewable energy projects in Virginia. AWS is striving to achieve a sustainable future, with plans for 100% renewable energy powering operations by 2025 and achieving net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040. It’s investing heavily in renewables as part of this mission, helping ensure that its data centers are powered sustainably.
Amazon is also planning to build a second headquarters campus in Arlington, Virginia.
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