The Fredericksburg region will be the focus of Amazon Web Services’ multi-billion-dollar investment in data centers announced Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin Wednesday. The move represents the largest single economic development investment in the history of the state, according to Youngkin.
Youngkin, joined by Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System Dr. David Dore, Germanna Community College President Dr. Janet Gullickson and other state and local elected officials gathered at Germanna Community College’s Spotsylvania campus to confirm that data centers will soon be built in Spotsylvania, Caroline, Stafford and Louisa counties.
Virginia is home to 70% of global internet traffic and Wednesday’s announcement positions the Fredericksburg region as the new epicenter of data centers statewide. It is the first wave of a $35 billion investment commitment by AWS.
Jeff Black, chairman of the Caroline Board of Supervisors, provided the clearest example of the tech giant’s impact on a rural county. AWS is investing $6 billion in the county, which has an annual budget of $55 million. It would take “106 years to make that up in our current budget,” said Black, who called the investment “huge news” and a “game changer.”
Louisa County will be home to an $11 billion investment from AWS. “This is a transformational opportunity,” said Duane Adams, chairman of the County’s Board of Supervisors. “We are able to have this type of investment, yet preserve the character of the county.”
“It’s a little bit overwhelming. We are very proud to have you as our new corporate neighbor,” he said.
According to Youngkin, the investments will create approximately 2,000 new jobs. To assist in filling those jobs, the Virginia Community College System and AWS are developing workforce training programs in skilled trades, data center operations, and fiber optics.
“Amazon and AWS are proud to call Virginia and these four counties home,” said Shannon Kellogg, VP of AWS Public Policy for the Americas.
Kellogg also announced that the AWS Community Fund will be committing $400,000 in community grants within the four localities. As part of this community initiative, AWS will begin the “AWS Girls Tech” series in 2025, to engage and activate future female leaders in STEM areas.
“We love being in Virginia. Thank you for your ongoing partnership,” Shannon said. “You are truly the cloud capital of the world.”
