EdgeCore Culpeper data center, Culpeper, Virginia

EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure, a Denver-based developer, is building a data center campus on 120 acres on Nalles Mill Road in the Culpeper Technology Zone in Culpeper County, Virginia, on land the county rezoned for data centers in December 2023. Virginia Business reported in April 2026 that construction had begun. EdgeCore says the campus will support 196 megawatts of power in two buildings totaling 920,000 square feet, with capacity available beginning in mid-2029.

Cielo Digital Infrastructure first bought the land in 2023 and won the rezoning; EdgeCore bought the project in May 2024 and cut the plan from an earlier 216-megawatt, 432-megawatt-expandable design. Power is expected from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in early 2028, and the Town of Culpeper will provide water and sewer. The company says it will use a closed-loop cooling system that needs almost no water, and the campus includes a 30-acre conservation area.

The rezoning came with binding conditions: noise may not exceed 60 decibels at the property line, the main entrance must be on Nalles Mill Road, and the owner must set aside up to $300,000 for road improvements. "All the proffers are binding. I expect that the new owner will be doing exactly what was presented in the rezoning case," County Administrator John Egertson said when EdgeCore took over. The deal also promises up to $392,000 to county fire and rescue.

In July 2026, residents urged the Board of Supervisors to keep the county rural and reject more data centers, citing power and water use, noise and electricity bills. "It felt like a personal insult to the community when our entire community is completely enraged by the data center development," said a resident identified only as Amanda. Supervisor Gary Deal said much of the opposition came from misinformation about the project.

Two data centers already operate in the county, which expects seven more campuses in the 1,000-acre technology zone plus an approved Amazon campus nearby. The Board of Supervisors, which approved the Culpeper rezoning 5-2, is the body residents keep pressing, including on a proposed tax on data center computer equipment like the ones Loudoun and Prince William counties already charge.