July 2 (Reuters) – Blackstone’s QTS mentioned on Thursday it had terminated its deliberate Digital Gateway knowledge middle mission in Virginia and withdrawn the related filings after years of planning and regulatory evaluate.
The info middle operator has confronted years of native opposition and litigation over the mission, regardless of it being authorised by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Demand for AI and cloud computing has fueled a growth in knowledge middle development throughout Virginia, dwelling to the world’s largest focus of such amenities.
Nevertheless, the trade’s fast enlargement has drawn rising scrutiny from native communities and policymakers over its impression on electrical energy demand, land and water use, and the surroundings.
QTS mentioned Virginia stays a serious a part of its enterprise, citing investments in Northern Virginia and the Richmond area, together with $5 billion in Central Virginia.
The Digital Gateway mission was anticipated to deliver tens of billions of {dollars} in capital funding, generate substantial annual native tax income and create hundreds of long-term jobs in Prince William County, in keeping with the firm.
(Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru; Modifying by Vijay Kishore)
