Connect | Virginia // DCD>Debate: Are data centers prioritizing sustainability optics over real impact, even amid Virginia’s clean energy push?

With Virginia’s ambitious $8.25 billion clean energy plan, including a mix of natural gas, nuclear, and renewables, data centers claim to be part of the sustainable future. Yet, behind the optics of waterless cooling and low power consumption, data centers still rely on coal and diesel to keep operations running.

As the Energy Delta Lab and major power projects take shape, is the state's energy transition truly sustainable for data centers, or is the industry merely spinning a green story? Is there a disconnect between sustainability messaging and the gritty realities of what it takes to keep the lights on in data centers?

Conducted under Chatham House Rule, this DCD>Debate invites experts to dissect these pivotal industry issues.