Data Centers & Local Communities: A New Social Contract

Virginia is the data center capital of the world. Sustaining that leadership will require a new social contract between the industry and the communities where data centers operate. Join the NVTC Data Center & Cloud Community of Interest for a timely conversation about what that contract should look like and how Virginia can keep leading in both innovation and responsible growth.

As the industry grows, so do questions about energy, water, land use, infrastructure costs and what communities receive in return.

The conversation is changing quickly.

• Sept 18: Gov. Abigail Spanberger introduced the Data Center Accountability Framework and signed an Executive Order putting much of it into effect immediately.
• Oct 1: The Governor released the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan, outlining how Virginia will meet surging electricity demand while keeping power reliable and affordable.
• Oct 2: Amazon announced its Data Center Commitment and Built Together initiative, investing more than $1 billion in data center communities over five years.

What we’ll discuss

• Community Impact & Economic Value: Jobs, tax revenue, workforce development and STEM education.
• Energy & Grid Reliability: Meeting growing power demand while keeping it affordable.
• Water & Next-Generation Cooling: Technologies that cut water use and improve efficiency.
• Tax Policy & Community Benefits: Incentives, infrastructure investment and sharing the benefits of growth.
• Transparency & Community Engagement: Building trust with residents and local leaders.

Speakers