Guest Column: AWS makes key investments in communities across Virginia

By Roger Wehner, AWS Director of Economic Development

Virginia is home to the largest data center market in the United States. More than 70 percent of the world’s internet traffic comes through Data Center Alley – which encompasses just six square miles in Loudoun’s Ashburn area – and 27 percent of the country’s data center capacity is located just outside the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia.

On Thursday, a new AWS Economic Impact Study was released which provides an overview of the scale of investment AWS has made in local communities in the U.S. since 2011, as well as demonstrating the positive ripple effects on these communities with an AWS data center in town.

According to the study, AWS has invested more than $108 billion in cloud computing infrastructure in the U.S., contributing nearly $38 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) while supporting nearly 30,000 jobs in the local communities where we operate. Much of this economic impact relates to the construction, connection, maintenance, and operation of data centers. In Virginia, AWS operates data centers across three counties, which supports 16,600 jobs and contributes $21.31 billion to local GDP.

In January, Amazon Web Services announced its intentions to invest an additional $35 billion to expand data centers in Virginia by 2040.  This is on top of the nearly $52 billion the company already invested in the state from 2011 through 2021 building data centers.

Operating data centers in three counties, and with more in the development pipeline, AWS paid $332 million in business personal property taxes in 2022 and contributes $21.31 billion to local GDP - making it a key driver of Virginia’s economic health.

But the impact goes well beyond local GDP as evidenced in AWS’s latest economic impact data report (link here) the company released this week. The expansive report provides important details about the impact the company’s data centers have on the job market, educational opportunities, local businesses, communities, and the environment, all of whom benefit significantly from AWS’s initiatives and operations here in the Commonwealth.

Amazon has more than 30 active education and training programs in Virginia. In the communities where we operate, AWS has instituted a localized program called AWS InCommunities, which launches long-term programs designed to have a lasting impact in the regions around the world where our data center employees work, live, and raise their families.

Part of that work is promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) learning for K-12 grade students through specialized labs, or ‘Think Big Spaces’ in schools, where students discover how to use technology to solve real-world problems. AWS launched its first ‘Think Big Spaces’ at River Oaks Elementary in Woodbridge in 2019, which services more than 10,000 elementary students from 20 nearby Title 1 schools.

Our Data Center Technician program, created in partnership with community colleges including Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), offers scholarships and job training to people with no previous experience who are interested in pursuing careers related to the cloud.

Through the AWS Academy program, the company is providing higher-education institutions with free, ready-to-teach cloud computing courses that prepare students to pursue industry-recognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs in everything from generative AI, to data center technician, and networking jobs. In 2022, AWS opened its AWS Skills Center in Arlington, a space designed to bring cloud computing to life for the community and offering free cloud computing classes. More than 500 U.S. colleges and universities, including NVCC, Danville Community College and Mountain Empire Community College in Wise County, currently offer AWS Academy courses.

AWS’s investment has supported thousands of jobs across the country and generated an estimated output of $65.15 billion at local businesses in the U.S. through construction, operation, and within the supply chain of our infrastructure. In Virginia alone, AWS supports 16,600 local jobs.

More than 200 innovative renewable energy projects are in various stages of development to support our operations on behalf of communities across the U.S, as part of Amazon’s commitment to powering our data center facilities with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 — five years ahead of our original target of 2030. This includes 18 solar farms that will provide enough energy to power 276,000 homes in Northern Virginia when they go live. It means more renewable energy for electricity grids in the U.S. and other countries, without direct costs to local energy users.

AWS has also pledged to be “water positive” by 2030—returning more water to communities than our data centers use. In Northern Virginia, we partnered with Loudoun Water to become the first data center operator in the state approved to use recycled water in direct evaporative cooling systems. Already utilizing recycled water for cooling in 20 of our data centers around the world, the company has plans to expand recycled water use in more facilities as we strive to meet our goal to become water positive.

As a perennial Top State for Business in America, Virginia’s role as strategic hub for AWS has never been more evident. We are proud to call Virginia our home and remain committed to helping the Commonwealth’s economy flourish and prosper through our continued investments in infrastructure, education, job creation, and workforce development efforts for years to come.   

Roger Wehner is AWS Director of Economic Development.