A humming annoyance or jobs boom? Life next to 199 data centres in Virginia

Data centres were billed as a boon to Virginia’s economy. Now, residents are concerned about their impact on real estate and electricity costs.

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Few people have heard of this inconspicuous part of northern Virginia, which also happens to be the wealthiest county in the US. But Loudoun was on everyone's radar earlier this week, when a massive global Amazon outage downed everything from crucial banking services to fun Snapchat streaks for millions.

That's because the county is home to the world's largest swath of data storage and processing facilities - even outpacing China.

Data centres - dedicated spaces for computer systems that help power the internet and artificial intelligence - are essential to our global connectivity.

But while they have proven to be a lucrative business - contributing billions to the local economy - some residents worry the cost comes at too high a price.