Governor Bob McDonnell announced on August 27th that Microsoft Corp. will invest up to $499 million to locate their latest generation data center (Gen4) in Mecklenburg County, in what will be the largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history. Using modular technology and advanced cooling mechanics, the center will be Microsoft's most advanced data center. The project will create 50 new jobs and Virginia successfully competed against North Carolina and Texas to secure this sought after facility.

"Microsoft is a household name and securing this global project is a significant economic win for Virginia," said Governor McDonnell. "The company's search process was long and competitive, and a great team of players came together to show Microsoft that Mecklenburg County was the right fit for its new version of a state-of-the-art data center. This project represents the largest investment project in the history of Southern Virginia. It will further bolster the Commonwealth's standing as a leader in the Information Technology sector, while creating new jobs for our citizens and spurring economic development throughout the region."

"We are incredibly grateful for the support and work of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the economic development team, and local officials in Mecklenburg County, and are excited to announce that we will be building our latest state-of-the-art data center near Boydton, Virginia," said Kevin Timmons, general manager of Microsoft Datacenter Services. "This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers. My team and I look forward to engaging in the deployment of our latest modular solution in Virginia."

Governor McDonnell approved a $2.1 million grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Mecklenburg County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $4.8 million in funds. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

"We're very proud that our advanced fiber optic network will support the high capacity, diverse routing and low latency requirements of Microsoft's new data center at the Boydton, Virginia GigaPark," said Tad Deriso, President & CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative. "Our GigaParks are a perfect example of how private sector companies like Microsoft can benefit from an advanced telecom infrastructure in a region with a low cost operating environment."