EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure is joining the throng of data center developers expanding in Virginia.
The Denver-based firm purchased 120 acres in the Culpeper Technology Zone in Culpeper, Virginia, an emerging location for data center development situated southwest of Loudoun County, and about midway between Richmond and Washington, D.C. The sale price was not disclosed.
The deal expands EdgeCore’s presence in Virginia where it already operates in Ashburn, Virginia, located two counties north of Culpeper. The Northern Virginia region leads the world in data center markets, according to Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion Energy, a power supplier to many of the region's data centers.
Dominion’s sales in Virginia increased 4.8% year over year in the first quarter driven by electrification and accelerating data center expansion, the company reported in May. In total, it has connected 94 data centers with over 4 gigawatts of capacity over the past five years and expects to connect an additional 15 data centers this year.
Typically, 1 megawatt of capacity is considered enough to power up to 900 homes in a year.
In addition, the utility is seeing data centers increasing exponentially in size. In recent years, growth has accelerated in order of magnitude, the company reported.
Growing Demand
Historically, a single data center typically had a demand of 30 megawatts. They are now receiving individual building requests for demand of 60 to 90 megawatts and multiple-building requests requiring total capacity ranging from 300 megawatts to as many as several gigawatts.
EdgeCore plans to develop a 1.4 million-square-foot data center campus at the site that can initially support 216 megawatts of critical information technology capacity and potentially up to 432 megawatts.
Culpeper has gained momentum as a data center market after establishing the Culpeper Technology Zone in 2018. The 690-acre site was designated to host data centers, public works utilities and STEM-based educational initiatives.
Last November, Dallas-based DataBank acquired nearly 85 acres there to host up to three two-story data centers, adding 1.4 million gross square feet of space. The site will also include a 300-megawatt substation from Dominion Energy.
"The demand for land capable of accommodating 300-plus megawatt data center campuses has skyrocketed in the wake of artificial intelligence and cloud applications," Michael Shaw, vice president of land acquisition for EdgeCore, said in a statement. "EdgeCore's new campus is an excellent option for our hyperscale customers due to its proximity to Ashburn and the near-term availability of power."
EdgeCore’s initial power delivery is expected in early 2028 through the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.
Launched in 2018, EdgeCore was acquired by Switzerland-based Partners Group in 2022, which announced plans to invest up to $1.2 billion to fund EdgeCore’s acquisition and build out data center sites.
Culpeper marks EdgeCore’s fifth market, following announcements for campuses in Ashburn, Silicon Valley, Phoenix, and Reno. The company has secured more than $2 billion in financing to fuel its build-out.