White Papers
In July 2024, David Reid, delegate from Loudoun County, asked the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM) to provide “brief, unbiased, nonvested-interest scientific and engineering assessments” of a series technologies being proposed to preserve Loudon County’s place as the preeminent location for data centers in the world. Northern Virginia, the single largest data center market anywhere by total power consumed.1 houses almost half of the data centers in the United States, and Loudon County, with over 230 data centers, is at its epicenter.
A principal challenge facing Loudoun County is sourcing the energy needed to support the construction of a new generation of data centers with the capacity to supply the computational power required by artificial intelligence and other uses.
Looking Ahead
The Virginia Academy’s record of accomplishment over the past 10 years has place it in an ideal position to reflect on its record. Now is the time to evaluate our efforts, expand on our successes, and pursue initiatives in areas where we have yet to realize our full potential. Our strategic plan is our roadmap for moving forward over the next five years.
VASEM has not limited itself to projects proposed by other sources. In 2021, we took the initiative to develop a key strategy document, identifying five promising areas, such as sustainable energy production and semiconductors, in which the Commonwealth has the fundamental resources and expertise to achieve national prominence. We are currently in the process of updating and reissuing our report.
Studies
JCOTS asked VASEM to study the “safety, quality of life, and economic consequences of weather and climate-related events on coastal areas in Virginia.” After conducting its investigations, the expert committee found that climate change will have an increasingly disruptive effect on people living in Virginia’s coastal areas during the 21st century—and that these disruptions will have repercussions not just on the coasts but throughout the Commonwealth. An important finding of the report was that the consequences of these changes will be very different for rural and urban areas.
The expert committee issued several recommendations that included creating a state-wide body to coordinate and support critical data collection and technology transfer across the Commonwealth.
At the request of JCOTs, the Virginia Academy undertook a study of the aerospace industry in Virginia. After holding a series of all-day sessions and interviews with a score of stakeholders, the expert committee identified two growth areas— commercial space and unmanned aerial systems (UAS)—that held high promise for Virginia.
The expert committee found that these areas were among the fastest-growing segments of the aerospace industry, generating thousands of well-paying jobs, both directly and indirectly, and producing substantial growth for states encouraging their development. They determined that Virginia had compelling assets in both commercial space and UAS that could position it for leadership in these areas and made a series of policy recommendations to accelerate the development of these industries in the Commonwealth.
