Loudoun County, the world's biggest data center hub, pauses new permits

The board of Loudoun County, Virginia — known as "Data Center Alley" and home to one of the largest concentrations of data centers globally — voted to impose a 12-month moratorium on new data center applications.

Why it matters: This follows Virginia's governor already moving to curb data center growth statewide and set up an AI task force. A pause in the single most important data center market suggests local backlash over power and land use is starting to translate into real limits on AI infrastructure buildout, not just political rhetoric.