Google Details Planned Data Center in Botetourt County, Virginia
March 11, 2026
Google has formally outlined its proposal for a significant new data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia, marking a strategic expansion into a region currently lacking such infrastructure. This move underscores the relentless demand for computing capacity driven by cloud services and artificial intelligence, pushing hyperscale operators to develop new markets.
The plans, detailed in a public notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Norfolk District under the codename "Project Raspberry," call for the construction of a three-building data center complex. The development is slated for a 343.6-acre site within the Greenfield Industrial Campus in Daleville. Each of the three data center buildings is planned to span approximately 300,000 square feet, accompanied by three electrical substations and a 28,000-square-foot office building. Supporting infrastructure will include access roads, parking, utilities, and stormwater management facilities.
Google acquired 312 acres of the property in June 2025 for a reported $14 million, concurrently committing to invest $4 million in local community projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now soliciting comments on the project from the public and various governmental bodies, a standard step in the regulatory review process.
This development represents a notable geographic diversification for Google in Virginia. While the company announced a $9 billion investment in the state's data center footprint in August 2025, covering new builds in Chesterfield County and expansions in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, the Botetourt County project was not included in that initial announcement. The region, situated west of Lynchburg near the Virginia-West Virginia border, presently hosts no operational data centers according to industry maps. Google's move signals confidence in the area's potential, aligning with its broader strategy that includes another three-building campus, known as "Project Peanut," in Richmond.
Source: datacenterdynamics
