Virginia is at a crossroads. The digital revolution is here, and artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, economies and the global competitive landscape.

Yet, while states and localities worldwide are aggressively investing in digital infrastructure to fuel innovation and prosperity, Virginia’s current debate on data centers risks stalling investment, limiting our potential and leaving us behind.

It’s time to broaden the conversation beyond data centers. Data centers are just one part of Virginia’s digital infrastructure ecosystems

Richmond Times-Dispatch (Feb. 18, 2025)

Virginia Beach reached a monumental milestone on Feb. 10 with the announcement that construction is underway to accommodate up to four new subsea cables, advancing the plan of the Hampton Roads-to-Richmond area megaregion to become a global internet hub.

This announcement is well timed as it shines a spotlight on what’s been missing in a General Assembly debate that’s been largely focused on the largest data centers and energy resources required to power them.

The Virginian-Pilot (Feb. 16, 2025)

A modern-day gold rush is here in the Richmond region as the nascent data center industry rises to meet the information needs of the future.

It begins in Virginia Beach, where four subsea internet cables make landfall, physically connecting sites across America and in Brazil, France and Spain. The data then snakes across Interstate 64 before it reaches the greater Richmond region’s rapidly expanding data center portfolio.

“When you add all these things up,” RVA757 Connects’ President and CEO John W. Martin said about what he calls the I-64 Innovation Corridor, “it really frames this idea of digital infrastructure, and our belief, now more than ever, that those communities that have invested in and created policies supporting development from these big and small companies are going to be the winning cities of tomorrow.”

Richmond magazine (February 2025 issue)

The Hanover County Economic Development Department highlighted RVA757 Connects' Global Internet Hub map in its Annual Report.

Dominion Energy is unleashing the potential of wind energy 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, pushing the boundaries of renewable energy innovation.

John Larson, Dominion Energy’s director of Public Policy and Economic Development, discusses the wind farm during a tour on June 17.

Offshore construction on the commercial-scale wind project began in mid-May with the installation of the first monopile foundation into the Atlantic Ocean. A total of 176 monopiles will be embedded into the sea floor over the next 2-plus years to support each of the new wind turbines.

There is growing interest from the data center community to look at places outside of Northern Virginia.

The Richmond region and Hampton Roads are marketing themselves as the next big places for data centers to locate, with more available land than Northern Virginia, and connections to three major subsea cables originating in Europe and South America that come ashore in Virginia Beach and connect to the East Coast at QTS Data Centers’ network access point (NAP) in Henrico County

Virginia Business magazine (March 2024 issue)

A Virginia Beach-based data center and subsea cable company —along with other tech advocates — spoke before a Virginia House of Delegates committee Monday. They talked about the state’s unique role in the global internet, but also warned about the opportunities they fear the Commonwealth is missing out on.

Radio IQ (February 19, 2024)

RVA757 Connects along with Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Greater Washington Partnership, and the New River Valley Passenger Rail release a report that is a comprehensive examination of the current state of passenger rail in Virginia and a roadmap for its expansion and enhancement. This collaborative effort brings together experts, advocates, and community leaders to address the critical need for a more robust and efficient rail system in the Commonwealth.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony in New Kent County on Nov. 13 to mark the start of the Interstate 64 widening from James City County to the Richmond area.

Virginia Gazette (November 20, 2023)

RVA757 Connects, a nonprofit focused on regional cooperation for economic development in Richmond and Hampton Roads, released on Thursday its 10-point strategic plan for transforming the “megaregion” into the next global internet hub.

Virginia Business (September 28, 2023)

Work is set to begin in November on widening Interstate 64 east of Richmond, with the aim of completing a six-lane superhighway connection to Hampton Roads, said Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen Brich.

Richmond Times-Dispatch (Sept. 29, 2023)

Business, education and community leaders from Richmond and throughout Hampton Roads gathered on Thursday for the annual Convergence Conference as they prepare for the formation of a megaregion designed to drive economic prosperity into the future. This year’s conference focused on the I-64 Innovation Corridor’s economic outlook as well as the strategic plan for global internet hub designation. Several speakers offered their thoughts on the current state of the economy as well as what it will look like heading into 2024.

Could Hampton Roads and the Richmond area become the next Global Internet Hub? On Tuesday afternoon, Virginia Beach city council members heard about a strategic plan that could transform the area.

"The real opportunity we have is to get to a world stage," said John Martin, the President & CEO of RVA757 Connects, an advocacy group promoting the regions working together to form a mega-region.

LifeNet President and CEO Rony Thomas shared how challenges arise when organizations seek to innovate during an RVA757 Connects webinar on May 3. In addressing the topic of “What Makes Innovation Work,” Thomas said many corporate leaders talk about their personal interest in innovation but often fall short in the execution because they must also embrace renovation.

John Martin, president and CEO of RVA 757 Connects, discusses on WTKR TV station the concept that nearby cities can do well by collaborating together rather than competing.

ChamberRVA, the Hampton Roads Chamber and RVA757 Connects recently held Convergence 2022, an ongoing collaborative effort to advance the Interstate 64 Innovation Corridor as America’s 12th megaregion.

Bringing together leaders from across the region, Convergence 2022 showcased the efforts happening between Hampton Roads and Richmond to promote development of the I-64 Innovation Corridor.

Aubrey L. Layne Jr. told those attending Convergence 2022 that the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas must act with “a sense of urgency” to collaborate on big initiatives.

James "Jim" E. Ukrop and Dr. Eugene “Gene” P. Trani were recognized by the board of RVA757 Connects for their visionary leadership in the formation of the I-64 Innovation Corridor megaregion.

Governor Glenn Youngkin addresses RVA757 Connects

Update: I-64 Gap Project gets funding