News | 4 min read
QTS Richmond Mega Data Center: a premier Global Interconnection Hub
July 13, 2022
Home in Henrico, Virginia, and partnership with InterGlobix and DE-CIX keys to rapid ascension
Overland Park, Kan. & Henrico, Va. (July 13, 2022) – QTS Data Centers recently acquired 200 acres at its Richmond Mega Data Center campus for expansion that could encompass up to 240 megawatts across 1.5 million square feet of additional capacity.
In the late 1990s, a dirt road led to a 2,300-acre patch of woods in eastern Henrico, Va. The Henrico Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority (EDA), and three companies – Motorola, Siemens, and Hewlett-Packard – transformed that patch of woods into a stringent semiconductor and data center environment. The County government made an investment of over $45 million in roads, water, and sewer infrastructure and the White Oak Technology Park opened.
In 2010, QTS Realty Trust invested more than half a billion dollars in a commitment toward the growth of its Richmond Mega Data Center in the White Oak Technology Park. It hosts the Richmond Network Access Point (NAP), which provides access to more than 20 network providers and four transcontinental subsea cables, including Dunant – Google’s undersea cable that offers the fastest data speeds on the planet. These features, plus a recent collaboration with DE-CIX, have helped solidify QTS Richmond Data Center’s status as a leading global interconnection hub.
“Henrico and the White Oak Technology Park have been great to QTS and we will continue to seek new opportunities for investment as evidenced by the recent addition of 200+ acres to the Richmond campus,” said, Clint Heiden, co-founder of the QTS Richmond NAP and Chief Revenue Officer of QTS Data Centers. “We recognize that the digital business world is thriving, the data center industry is growing at exponential pace to accommodate that change, and we have all the tools to usher in a new era of global communications. We look forward to leading the charge together as we have found a great home to build the foundation of Internet infrastructure at the Richmond NAP in Henrico, Va.”
“The rapid evolution of the Internet ecosystem in Henrico is the result of years of dedication to the data center industry and Internet infrastructure companies,” said Vinay Nagpal, co-founder of the QTS Richmond NAP and President of InterGlobix. “In order for businesses to succeed in our modern age, the digital world has to be accessible and operational 24/7. To facilitate this, we have developed rock-solid infrastructure with resiliency and diversity top of mind as reflected in the mission of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC). Henrico is posed to accentuate economic growth on this foundation.”
Thanks to the valued public-private partnership with Henrico officials and a vision of connectivity dominance that is shared by the Henrico EDA, QTS Richmond has evolved into a digital infrastructure powerhouse and a second hub of interconnection in Virginia outside of Northern Va. The data center has benefited from Henrico’s many assets, including a strategic location in the middle of the East Coast, access to renewable energy sources, and low tax rates on computers and related equipment for data centers ($0.40/$100).
The facility also benefits from a unique integration with the new DE-CIX Richmond located within QTS. This revolutionary internet exchange (IX) is part of the largest carrier and data center neutral interconnection ecosystem in North America.
“Businesses that tap into DE-CIX Richmond are not dependent on one carrier or one data center to transmit their data,” said Tyrone E. Nelson, Henrico’s Varina District Supervisor. “We’re talking increased reliability and flexibility at unsurpassed speeds. Data can travel to Europe and back in one-third of a second – a literal blink of an eye.”
About QTS
QTS Realty Trust, LLC. is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint spanning more than 9 million square feet of owned mega scale data center space within North America and Europe. Through its software-defined technology platform, QTS is able to deliver secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology companies, enterprises, and government entities. QTS is a Blackstone portfolio company. Visit QTS at www.qtsdatacenters.com, call toll-free 877.QTS.DATA or follow on Twitter @DataCenters_QTS.
About the Henrico EDA
Located in the heart of the Eastern Seaboard, Henrico is an AAA-bonded full-service community adjacent to Virginia’s capital city of Richmond. The EDA is your single point of contact for business development and site selection services. Find properties and run reports with our GIS tool, HenricoProperties.com. Learn more about White Oak Technology Park, a master-planned high-tech manufacturing center, at whiteoaktechpark.com. Visit Henrico.com for the latest news and to sign up to receive our Property Now and Henrico Now newsletters.
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