Northern Virginia, the epicenter of the global data center boom, is experiencing rapid expansion as tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon race to meet the soaring demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. While the region’s fiber-optic infrastructure makes it ideal for data centers, some residents have voiced concerns over rising power costs, environmental impacts, and the encroachment of massive facilities into residential areas.

With projections showing electricity prices could double in the next decade, and the grid already strained during heat waves, utilities and tech firms are scrambling for solutions, including Amazon’s plan to tap directly into a nuclear plant. Yet, critics argue that unchecked development and lack of local oversight are leaving communities overwhelmed, even as the US' economic future becomes increasingly tied to data infrastructure.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.

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