Roanoke County, Virginia
DataCentersExposed tracks 2 AI data centers in Roanoke County, Virginia — 0 operating and 2 in the pipeline, led by Alphabet Inc..
Sources: Methodology, Coverage scorecard
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated May 29, 2026
What's happening in Roanoke County
Alphabet Inc. has the largest presence in Roanoke County. We resolve project codenames and shell LLCs back to the corporate parent wherever the public record allows, so the table below names who is actually behind each site.
Below: every tracked facility in the county, the active state legislation that names it or its county, and local news. Commissioner vote records arrive in a later release; the placeholders show where that accountability data will land.
2035 Buildout Outlook
Under the model's moderate-growth scenario (5%/yr annual load growth), PNNL's IM3 model sites about 7 standardized 36 MW campuses in Roanoke County by 2035 — roughly 252 MW of new electricity demand and ~244 M gal/yr of cooling water. Under the higher-growth scenario (15%/yr) that climbs to 24 campuses (864 MW). For scale, we currently track 2 real data centers in Roanoke County.
- Low growth4144 MW · ~139 M gal/yr cooling water
- Moderate growth7252 MW · ~244 M gal/yr cooling water
- High growth16576 MW · ~557 M gal/yr cooling water
- Higher growth24864 MW · ~836 M gal/yr cooling water
The model assigns ~100% of these campuses' cooling to evaporative water cooling in Roanoke County (the rest to mechanical/air cooling), a split it derives from local water stress and wet-bulb temperature.
These are modeled candidate sites, not announced or permitted facilities. PNNL's IM3 model places identical 36 MW unit-campuses at feasible locations under each scenario — it shows where demand could concentrate, never a specific parcel. Figures use a market-gravity weight of 50. How the model works.
Every tracked facility
| Facility | Operator | Status | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Data Center Salem | Alphabet Inc. | Proposed | — |
| Google Data Center: Center for Research and Technology Roanoke | Alphabet Inc. | Proposed | — |
County commissioners
How the Roanoke County board votes on each data-center matter — the rezonings, the abatements, the water permits — is built from public-meeting minutes and roll-call records. Know of a vote we should be tracking? Tell us.