prince william digital gateway
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prince william digital gateway
One of the world’s largest data center projects, approved after 27-hour meeting in December 2023, but voided by court in August 2025. Compass portion requires 1.7GW, QTS needs ~1GW. Project faces legal challenges and community opposition.
| Investment | $24.7B |
| Power Capacity | 2.7 GW |
| Location | Gainesville, Prince William County, Virginia |
| Status | Announced |
project overview
One of the world’s largest data center projects, approved after 27-hour meeting in December 2023, but voided by court in August 2025. Compass portion requires 1.7GW, QTS needs ~1GW. Project faces legal challenges and community opposition.
location and scale
| Location | Gainesville, Prince William County, Virginia |
| Region | Northern Virginia |
| Status | Announced |
| Total Investment | $24.7B |
| Power Capacity | 2.7 GW |
| Total Area | 23.0M sq ft |
key stakeholders
| Sponsors | QTS Realty Trust, Compass Datacenters |
| Operators | QTS Realty Trust, Compass Datacenters |
investment breakdown
The $24.7 billion investment is distributed across multiple components:
| Component | Amount | Percentage |
| IT Equipment (GPUs, servers, networking) | $16.1B | 65% |
| Building and Construction | $4.9B | 20% |
| Power Infrastructure | $2.5B | 10% |
| Other (cooling, security, land) | $1.2B | 5% |
equipment refresh cycles
IT equipment typically requires replacement every 3-5 years, meaning:
- Initial deployment: $16.1B
- 3-year refresh: Additional $12.8B estimated
- Total over 10 years: $40.1B in equipment
infrastructure requirements
power capacity
The facility requires 2.7 GW of power capacity:
| Total Power Capacity | 2.7 GW |
| Equivalent Homes Powered | 2,250,000 |
| Annual Energy Consumption | 23,652 GWh/year |
facility specifications
| Total Area | 23.0M sq ft |
| Raised Floor Space | 16.1M sq ft (estimated) |
| Power Density | 167 W/sq ft |
construction timeline
| Announced | 2022-11 |
| Construction Start | TBD |
| Expected Completion | TBD |
economic impact analysis
job creation
| Peak Construction Jobs | 49,400 |
| Permanent Operations Jobs | 540 |
| Average Salary (estimated) | 120,000 |
economic multiplier effects
The project’s total economic impact extends beyond direct investment:
| Direct Investment | $24.7B |
| Total Economic Impact (2.5x multiplier) | $61.8B |
| Estimated Annual Tax Revenue | $124M |
| 30-Year Tax Revenue | $3.7B |
regional benefits
The project brings significant benefits to Virginia:
- Supply chain development: Local suppliers for construction materials, equipment, and services
- Infrastructure investment: Improved power grid, roads, and telecommunications
- Technology ecosystem: Attracts related tech companies and talent
- Educational partnerships: Training programs and university collaborations
- Real estate development: Increased commercial and residential development
technical specifications
workload types
| Workload Type | Description |
| HYPERSCALE | Large-scale cloud computing and storage |
strategic importance
competitive positioning
This mega-project represents a strategic investment by QTS Realty Trust, Compass Datacenters to:
- Cloud Expansion: Grow public cloud market share and regional presence
- Customer Proximity: Reduce latency for regional enterprise customers
- Service Diversity: Enable new services requiring massive compute resources
national infrastructure significance
As a mega-project (>$10B investment), this facility:
- Represents a major commitment to US technology infrastructure
- Contributes to national AI competitiveness and security
- Demonstrates Virginia’s emergence as a datacenter hub
- Sets new standards for scale and efficiency in datacenter design
regional integration
Virginia datacenter ecosystem
This project integrates into Virginia’s growing datacenter infrastructure:
- Power grid integration: Connection to regional transmission infrastructure
- Fiber connectivity: Access to major internet backbone routes
- Skilled workforce: Leverage regional technical talent and training programs
- Supply chain: Integration with local construction and equipment suppliers
community relations
Large-scale datacenter projects require strong community partnerships:
- Local hiring commitments: Priority hiring for construction and operations roles
- Educational partnerships: STEM programs and technical training initiatives
- Infrastructure improvements: Road, water, and utility infrastructure upgrades
- Tax revenue sharing: Property tax and incentive agreements with local governments
Prince William County impact
The project specifically impacts Prince William County through:
- Direct property tax revenue and economic development incentives
- Increased demand for housing, retail, and professional services
- Enhanced infrastructure that benefits broader community
- Recognition as a technology and innovation center
stakeholder analysis
project sponsors
QTS Realty Trust | Compass Datacenters
The sponsoring organizations bring complementary capabilities:
- QTS Realty Trust: Strategic partner and stakeholder
- Compass Datacenters: Strategic partner and stakeholder
operators and tenants
Primary Operators: QTS Realty Trust, Compass Datacenters
The operators manage day-to-day facility operations including power, cooling, security, and network management.
sources and references
- Prince William approves Digital Gateway plan to meet rising data center demand - Virginia Mercury (2022-11-02) - https://virginiamercury.com/2022/11/02/prince-william-approves-digital-gateway-plan-to-meet-rising-data-center-demand/
- Prince William supervisors approve Digital Gateway project over protest - Washington Post (2023-12-13) - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/13/prince-william-digital-gateway-data-centers/
- Prince William County Digital Gateway project in doubt after court ruling - Washington Post (2025-08-14) - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/14/data-center-prince-william-virginia-digital-gateway/
related pages
analysis current as of October 2025