Virginia to Ban NDAs and Tighten Permits for Data Centers
Virginia plans to ban non-disclosure agreements, tighten permitting and impose clean energy mandates on data centers, Governor Abigail Spanberger said.
Virginia is moving to tighten oversight of data centers, with a package of measures that would prohibit non-disclosure agreements on such projects, impose stricter permitting requirements and require the server warehouses to meet clean energy mandates.
Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the plans on Friday, signalling a shift in how the state intends to regulate an industry it has long hosted.
The state is home to the largest concentration of data centers anywhere in the world, making its policy choices closely watched across the sector.
Virginia joins a growing list of states tightening rules on the facilities, which are central to the development of artificial intelligence. The push comes as political resistance to AI and the infrastructure it depends on gains momentum.
The proposed changes would affect several stages of data center development, from the secrecy that often surrounds project negotiations to the energy sources used to power operations.
No timeline for implementing the measures was provided in the announcement.