Powering the future: Researchers tackle the data center challenge
With funding from the College of Engineering Major Grants Initiative, they aim to establish a convergent research center that pioneers autonomous, scalable, and secure data center ecosystems.
Data centers are popping up across Virginia at exponential rates. According to Business Insider, large tech companies filed permits for 54 new data centers in the commonwealth in 2025.
As energy needs associated with data centers continue to climb, so do questions about their reliability, sustainability, and economic impacts.
Virginia Tech recently hosted a workshop bringing together experts from industry, academia, and government to plan for a center-scale effort with the goal of enabling a more resilient and efficient data center ecosystem through research, workforce development, and policy. The meeting stemmed from research by an interdisciplinary team, with support from the College of Engineering’s Major Grants Initiative. Ali Mehrizi-Sani, professor of electrical engineering and director of the Power and Energy Center at Virginia Tech, and principal investigator for the research project, shared insights from the workshop and his research on power, policy, and cybersecurity issues that will shape the future of data centers in the commonwealth and beyond.
What was the goal of the recent data center workshop?
This workshop was really about bringing all the right voices together to understand what we need — scientifically, technically, and from a policy standpoint — to make Virginia’s data center ecosystem more sustainable and resilient. We wanted to identify the capability gaps we have today, the R&D questions we should be tackling, and the issues that matter most to industry and our citizens.
We framed it around a simple question for the stakeholders: What tools do you wish you had right now that would make your work easier?
Who participated in the discussion?
The workshop brought together a deliberately diverse, hand-selected group of about 35 participants representing academia, industry, utilities, environmental organizations, and state policymakers.
We had researchers from Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Clemson, University of Alaska, and New York University, along with representatives from Dominion Energy, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.
The group also included representatives from the Piedmont Environmental Council, who voiced environmental and community perspectives, and state commissions such as the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation and the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, which advises the Virginia General Assembly.
What are the biggest misconceptions about data centers?
People often discuss the environmental impacts associated with data centers, but they often don’t talk about the large amounts of electric power they need. Most assume that power will always be there, but that takes a lot of generation and transmission infrastructure and many engineers. It’s the curse of a reliable system — it becomes invisible.
One of the most common misconceptions is the assumption that the existing power system can easily accommodate new and expanding data centers. While data centers have become vital for cloud computing, AI, and digital communication, their energy footprint is immense and continues to grow.
How does public perception influence data center construction?
Public perception plays a powerful role in shaping how data centers are built and managed. Many Virginians see the visible effects of large facilities, from changes in landscape, to local traffic, to construction, to worry about rising electricity costs or water consumption. Those perceptions are not unfounded, but they need to be considered alongside the factual impact that data centers bring to the commonwealth.
Each facility typically employs around 50 people, and those positions tend to be high-paying technical and maintenance roles, supported by hundreds of additional jobs during construction and through related service contracts. Counties that host data centers often see substantial boosts in local tax revenue, which can fund schools, infrastructure, and public services.
Looking ahead, what do you see as the next big opportunities for innovation?
Our research team is developing better tools to coordinate data centers with the grid. These optimization models can improve reliability and planning. They could also apply to renewables and other large-scale energy systems. And we’re keeping a close eye on new technologies like small modular reactors and next-generation batteries. We need a real breakthrough in both to make them mainstream.
The future of data centers and the power systems that sustain them depends on multifaceted innovation, where engineering, policy, and economics intersect. Our work is about creating tools and partnerships that help make those decisions intelligently. That’s how we ensure that the grid, and the technology it supports, remain strong for decades to come.
