Washington state trails in data center growth
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Washington has one of the nation's largest data center footprints, but it's adding new facilities more slowly than other states, a recent analysis finds.
The big picture: Nationwide, big tech and many local leaders are full steam ahead on building data centers to generate revenue and support the AI boom.
- But the centers are fueling a major political fight, with some officials and local advocates pushing back over energy use and other concerns.
Zoom in: Washington state already has 134 data centers, the 10th most of any U.S. state.
- That's according to a report from the American Edge Project (a pro-tech advocacy group) and the Technology Councils of North America (which represents tech and IT trade organizations).
- Another nine data centers are planned or under construction in Washington, per the report.
Yes, but: Other states are slated to see much faster growth.
- Georgia, for instance, currently has 162 data centers and is on track for 285 more.
- Pennsylvania has 98, with 184 more potentially on the way.
- Overall, Virginia leads the country in data centers, with 663 operational and 595 more either under construction or planned.
All told, nearly 3,000 data centers are planned or under construction nationwide, adding to the more than 4,000 already in operation, the analysis finds.
What they're saying: "Whether you live in a coastal tech hub, a manufacturing corridor, or a rural community, AI is now a major engine of local jobs, construction, revenue, and long-term economic growth," American Edge Project CEO Doug Kelly wrote in the report.
The other side: The expansion of data centers in Washington state "presents both significant opportunities and real challenges," two advisers to Gov. Bob Ferguson wrote in the opening of a preliminary report released last month by a state data center work group.
- The state's clean energy push — including electric vehicle adoption and the phaseout of fossil fuels — is driving an "unprecedented" increase in electricity demand, wrote Ferguson advisers Beau Perschbacher and Kate Brouns.
- "This challenge is compounded by data center growth," they wrote.
What's next: Further growth of data centers in Washington "would require significant electric power grid expansion," the work group report says.