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Microsoft Files to Build Two-Building Data Center Campus in Prince William County, Virginia

By: IDCNOVARegion: North America
Microsoft is set to expand its data center footprint in Northern Virginia with a new campus proposed outside Gainesville in Prince William County, reinforcing the region's status as the world's largest data center market and underscoring the continued surge in demand for cloud infrastructure across the United States.

The company has filed an application with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, for the MNZ07 Wellington Data Center at 13490 University Boulevard. The filing seeks approval to develop two one-story data center buildings alongside an on-site substation on a 123-acre parcel located on the east side of University Boulevard, south of Interstate 66 and north of Wellington Road.

According to the application, the project is "needed to address expanding customer demand for cloud platform services in the region." The proposed development would impact 955 linear feet of stream channels and 1.95 acres of wetlands, requiring federal permitting review.

Microsoft acquired the site in 2024 from local landowner Chuck Kuhn, purchasing 124 acres for $465.5 million. The company previously filed an application for the project with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in July, marking a multi-agency permitting process that has become standard for large-scale data center developments in the state.

The land borders a 117-acre site owned by Amazon, where the company is planning a 2.3 million sq ft (213,676 sqm) campus known as Gainesville West and Gainesville East. Google-linked Sharpless Enterprises is also planning a large data center campus nearby. Much of the surrounding area was formerly used as a military facility previously operated by Atlantic Research Corporation.

The project highlights the intensifying competition among hyperscale cloud providers for land and power capacity in Northern Virginia, a market that has faced growing constraints on available energy and suitable development sites. Microsoft's continued investment in the region signals that demand for cloud and AI workloads remains robust despite broader concerns about grid capacity and community opposition to data center expansion.