When I speak to experts working across the data center industry, one point is always clear: This infrastructure boom is not going away in Virginia.

That was proven true Friday when a San Jose company acquired Maryland construction company Bowers, citing its contracts in Data Center Alley. You can learn more about the $475 million deal below. 

I also took stock of the overall data center landscape in Virginia, with help from a reporter in Nebraska where the infrastructure is on the rise. Keep scrolling to see how the places compare.

Plus, voting for the 2025 Technical.ly Awards is underway! Go to technical.ly/vote, and meet the nominees. 

—  Kaela, Technical.ly lead reporter in DC and Virginia

Local data center builder acquired for $475M 

Legence, a San Jose building engineering firm that got listed on the Nasdaq in September, announced its agreement to purchase Bowers.

This deal also means Legence is inheriting Bowers’ backlog of awards and contracts totaling $1.3 billion, according to a press release. Bowers employs about 1,700 workers, who mainly work through labor unions. It is unclear if there will be any personnel changes or layoffs. Continue reading ... 

Lessons learned from the data center boom

Loudoun County is considered the data center capital of the world, with about a third of the state’s 666 data centers and many more in development. Nebraska, meanwhile, has 39.

But leaders in Nebraska are worried about how data centers will stress energy supplies as the structures continue to be built. There is a scramble to meet power demands in Virginia, and these needs will not slow down, said Del. David Reid, who represents a portion of Loudoun County in the Virginia legislature.

“We cannot ask people to stop using the internet,” Reid told me. “We cannot stop economic development.” Continue reading ...