Tomorrow Talks | The Infrastructure of Tomorrow: Data Centers, AI, and Virginia’s Future

As we prepare for the 15th Annual Tom Tom Festival (April 21–25, 2027), whose theme is NEXTGEN, the Tomorrow Talk series invites us to consider the systems and infrastructure that shape the opportunities available to those neighbors. We talk constantly about AI, the cloud, and the digital economy. But the digital world is increasingly physical — consuming land, electricity, water, and capital, while reshaping communities across Virginia. Data centers are, in many ways, the factories of the digital age. And like the factories of previous generations, they can bring jobs, tax revenue, new power and transportation infrastructure, and high-speed fiber to communities that might otherwise struggle to attract investment. For Virginia, the question is not simply whether the data center economy will grow, but how we make sure that growth creates lasting value for the Commonwealth. In a conversation with Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegate Katrina Callsen — moderated by Kate Byrne of Women Advancing — we’ll explore what infrastructure the future requires — and what it means to build it in a way that respects the communities asked to host it. Can Virginia remain a leader in the digital infrastructure economy while also protecting affordability, sustainability, local decision-making, and the long-term interests of its communities? And twenty years from now, will we look back at the choices we are making today and believe we got them right? Senator Creigh Deeds has been directly involved in Virginia’s emerging debate over data centers, carrying legislation that would tie the industry’s substantial state tax incentives to stronger energy-efficiency and clean-energy standards. He has also helped scrutinize the fiscal implications of that incentive, which he has noted grew from an estimated $1.5 million annual cost when it began in 2008 to roughly $1.9 billion in foregone state revenue today. As chair of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee and a member of Senate Finance and Appropriations, Deeds sits at the center of Virginia’s debate over how to balance economic growth, energy demand, public investment, and the long-term interests of communities. Delegate Katrina Callsen represents Charlottesville and part of Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Delegates, placing her at the intersection of statewide infrastructure policy and its local consequences. A member of the House Finance Committee, she has participated in the General Assembly’s emerging debate over data-center siting and community impacts, including legislation addressing the effects of high-energy-use facilities.