Capital One has finished construction of its US$150m data center in northern Virginia and brought the facility online.

Virginia's former governor Bob McDonnell announced the project in 2012, boasting that the large US financial services firm had chosen his state over Texas for the big construction project.

The Richmond-area data center is part of Capital One's core IT infrastructure, according to a statement issued by the state's current governor Terry McAuliffe this week. The company held a grand opening of the facility Wednesday.

“Virginia has been home to Capital One for more than two decades, and the company continues to illustrate its commitment to the Commonwealth through major investments in our communities,” McAuliffe said in the statement.

“The creation of 100 new technology jobs is a testament to Virginia’s strong workforce and is in line with my top priority of growing and diversifying our economy and making Virginia a leader in 21st Century industries.”

Capital One is based in McLean, Virginia, which is about 100 miles north of Richmond.

The 240,000 sq ft data center has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. The council issues the certification for environmentally friendly building design and construction practices and recycling of materials in construction projects.