US firm CleanArc Data Centers has broken ground on its debut campus in Caroline County, Virginia.

The company this week announced the groundbreaking of its flagship 900MW VA1 campus. The first 300MW is due to come online in 1Q 2027, the second 300MW is currently projected for 2030, and another 300MW in the 2033-2035 timeframe.

CleanArc has said the campus will utilize a modular data center design and off-site manufacturing to speed up development.

"Today marks an important milestone for CleanArc Data Centers and Northern Virginia," said James Trout, founder and CEO of CleanArc Data Centers. "This new, leading-edge campus reflects our commitment to delivering reliable, efficient, and sustainable data center solutions while supporting the local economy and workforce."

The Caroline County campus is the former site of the Virginia Bazaar flea market, but it will now house a campus of three buildings, each with two data halls. The company secured planning permission for the project in September.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin joined local officials, community partners, and CleanArc leadership at the groundbreaking ceremony.

CleanArc was launched early last year by clean energy investment firm 547 Energy. Private equity firm Snowhawk invested in CleanArc in September and is now the company's majority owner. The company has since taken follow-on investment from Townsend Group and Nuveen.

"We are thrilled to support this project, which represents a significant investment in the future of digital infrastructure and underscores our commitment to building advanced, sustainable facilities that empower businesses and communities," said Brian McMullen, managing partner and co-founder of Snowhawk Partners.

Caroline County, located south of Fredericksburg and North of Richmond, hasn’t traditionally hosted many data centers, but is now attracting more developments as space in Northern Virginia is at a premium.

Amazon is developing the Orrock Tech Campus (since renamed the Mattameade Tech campus) – a 920-acre site set to host 4.5 million sq ft (418,063 sqm) across 11 data centers. The company was recently granted an economic deal with Spotsylvania and Caroline Counties for the project.

Avaio also has Caroline County data center projects planned in Ruther Glen and Ladysmith.

We spoke to CleanArc’s CEO Jim Trout about his ambitions for the company for the latest edition of DCD>Magazine, out now and available to read for free.