Explore the Design, Build Process of Aligned Ashburn in ‘Data Center Alley’

Northern Virginia is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Ashburn, Va., within this market experiencing hyper growth, is known as part of “data center alley.” A new white paper from Aligned Energy provides a case study and outlines one data center provider’s process in building in the top colocation market in North America with the launch of Aligned Ashburn.

In designing the new Aligned Ashburn campus, Aligned Energy aimed to “address the needs of hyperscalers, Platform-as-a- Service (PaaS) and cloud service providers that demand a highly dynamic, scalable, and future-proof data center solution,” according to the report.

Aligned went on to construct a 368,755 square-foot data center and build out its first fully-commissioned 12 MW of data center space, expandable to 60 MW, in less than six months.

Ultimately, the 26-acre, 180 MW  data center campus will offer over 1 million square feet of space, “ultimately drawing redundant, critical power from two diverse 230kV Dominion substations,” according to the report.

To build out the new campus, Aligned is using its inventory of prefabricated, factory-built and tested power and cooling equipment, as well as utilizing a variety of industry partners, as well.

To start building, Aligned explained it had to relocate critical utility and private power feeds. Additionally, critical water and gas utility sources had to be relocated to begin construction of the infrastructure yard,

The company focused on safety in the design and build process, such as not having to use drywall once the initial build was finalized.

“This is significant for worksite safety because drywall installers are commonly at risk for back injuries, falls and respiratory exposure to dust, including silica,” the report explains.

Aligned’s adaptive data center will work to meet the growing need for high-density, highly efficient and scalable colocation solutions in Ashburn. — Aligned Energy

The campus’ initial 368,755-square-foot, 60 MW facility, will be followed by a 409,000-square-foot, 120 MW development. The campus is on top of major fiber and conduit routes, providing access to more than 50 carriers in the immediate area.

Download the new case study, “Aligned Ashburn Data Center Campus,” courtesy of Aligned Energy to further explore the data center infrastructure provider’s process and plans for Aligned Ashburn.