Amazon Web Services (AWS) has revealed plans to invest $35 billion in the US state of Virginia to expand its operations between now and 2040.
Virginia is home to the company’s US-EAST-1 region, which has suffered severe power outages and other problems in recent years, leading some to see this as a major source of concern about Amazon’s ability to handle the crisis.
AWS has operated in the state since 2006, before choosing Virginia to open its second headquarters (dubbed HQ2) in 2018.
AWS in Northern Virginia
Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia, Announce (opens in a new tab) He believes the plan will create “at least” 1,000 new jobs in the region, as he continues to express a clear interest in his state’s industry:
“The State of Virginia will continue to encourage the development of next-generation data center parks across multiple regions of the Commonwealth. These regions offer strong utility infrastructure, lower costs, good livability and a highly educated workforce, and will benefit from related economic development and an increased tax base, assist schools and provide services to the community.”
Reuters (opens in a new tab) It’s also been reported that the cloud storage giant has already invested $35 billion in data centers in Northern Virginia between 2011 and 2020, meaning continued investment could be a huge boost to the local economy.
AWS Director of Economic Development Roger Wehner highlighted that the company’s continued investment in the region since 2006 has boosted the Commonwealth’s GDP by nearly $7 billion and created thousands of jobs.
If AWS is approved by the Virginia General Assembly, it will be eligible for a new large data center incentive program. This would include an extension of data center sales and use tax exemptions for up to 15 years “for qualifying equipment and supporting software” and “up to $140 million in additional value for site and infrastructure improvements, workforce development and other project-related costs.” Further grants” cost in US dollars. “
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