The Dulles Tech Corridor is in the running to be homebase to not one but two major technology companies -- and to potentially reap many of the processes if the deal goes through.
In its September 2018 announcement about finalists for a second headquarters (or “HQ2”), Amazon included the Dulles Tech Corridor. The area beat out over 150 other applicant cities to make it into the exclusive list of 20 finalists. Amazon is expected to announce the location some time later this year.
But the region is also in the running to be the site of Apple’s new second headquarters on the east coast as well. The footprint would necessitate about 4 million square feet, making it about half as large as Amazon’s. According to the company’s January announcement, the headquarters would cost $30 billion. Apple also promised to hire 20,000 employees in the next five years. According to sources with knowledge of the arrangements, Apple has the Dulles Tech Corridor on a short list that also includes the famed Research Triangle in North Carolina.
The Dulles Tech Corridor has been dubbed the “Silicon Valley of the East” by Atlantic magazine, and for good reason. According to one estimate taken in 2013, almost 70% of all internet traffic traveled through the corridor’s data centers, which are housed in an area known as “data center alley.”
Among the many companies with headquarters there are Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Network Solutions and General Dynamics. Adobe Systems, Google, Tata Communications, and many other global SaaS players have regional offices in the Dulles Tech Corridor as well. Amazon is also heavily invested in the region with over 70% of AWS IP addresses housed in data centers there as well.
Nestled in Fairfax and Loudon counties, the area is also at the epicenter of two of the highest income counties in the United States and a stone’s throw away from the seat of power. These communities run along the corridor between Virginia State Route 267 and Virginia State Route 7.
The area also contains some of the lowest electricity rates in the country, which also has stimulated development in the region and likely is another factor making it appealing to tech firms.
