Amazon Web Services Expands Virginia Footprint

Meeting a Growing Tech Need

Amazon Web Services (AWS) had two major requirements when they began searching for an East Coast site to host their new corporate campus in 2017: top talent and accessibility to major metro areas.

Enter Virginia.

The Commonwealth hosts the largest data center market in the world and stands at the forefront of emerging sectors like cloud computing, cybersecurity, and software development. Virginia also boasts the highest concentration of tech workers in the nation and a steady pipeline of IT talent flocking to Northern Virginia annually from the state’s nationally recognized colleges and universities. Additionally, Virginia’s advantageous mid-Atlantic location provides a gateway to domestic and global markets, including proximity to three major international airports.

Fairfax Bound

Located in the heart of Northern Virginia, Fairfax County offers access to policymakers and leaders in the federal government in nearby Washington, D.C. And with one of every four jobs directly related to the technology solutions sector, Fairfax County attracts a constant influx of young talent from around the world. Partners such as the Northern Virginia Technology Council, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech (which opened its Innovation Campus near Amazon’s HQ2 in Alexandria in 2025) all contribute to this thriving ecosystem.

So it only made sense that in 2017, AWS announced plans to establish its new East Coast corporate campus in Fairfax County at One Dulles Tower, a 400,000-square-foot Class A office building about two miles east of Washington Dulles International Airport, creating up to 1,500 new jobs.

This allowed Amazon to strengthen its partnership with NOVA through its Career Choice program, which empowers Amazon employees and provides a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including full college tuition, certifications, and foundational skills like English language proficiency. Amazon’s Veteran Technical Apprenticeship program, the first of its kind on the East Coast, was launched at NOVA in 2017 to train local veterans for roles as data center technicians, system engineers, and cloud computing consultants.

The Largest Capital Investment In Virginia History 

Between 2011 and 2021, AWS invested more than $34.6 billion in Virginia and is among the Commonwealth’s largest private-sector employers, with over 8,700 full-time, well-paying jobs in corporate offices and data centers. 

In January 2023, AWS announced plans to again expand its footprint in Virginia, investing $35 billion by 2040 to establish multiple data center campuses.

VEDP worked with AWS for five years prior to the 2017 announcement to ensure Virginia could meet the company’s requirements for expansion. Even as needs shifted and development plans evolved, Virginia continued to deliver on every front; flexibility which proved central to winning the project.

AWS’s ongoing, historic investment will have a tremendous ripple effect on Virginia’s economy for decades to come, proving once again how well the Commonwealth can ensure consistent growth and reliable development in high-need, high-demand industries. 

Virginia is a world leader in innovation and cloud computing, thanks to its investment in a robust, highly skilled workforce and emphasis on long-term public and private partnerships.

Roger Wehner, Director of Economic Development, Amazon Web Services