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George Mason University is taking a major step toward advancing clean energy and digital infrastructure innovation with the launch of the Virginia AI Data Center Research Lab at Mason Square in Arlington. This initiative is made possible through funding from the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank and Virginia Energy. The $1.5 million grant establishes a first-of-its-kind research and workforce development initiative and positions the commonwealth as the national leader in grid-interactive, AI-driven digital infrastructure.

Liling Huang, lab director (center) cuts ribbon of the Virginia AI Data Center research lab. Other guests (from left) Micah Till, Andre Marshall, Dean Ken Ball, Glenn Davis, and Jennifer Andos. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

Why Virginia

Virginia sits at the center of the world's digital infrastructure, hosting the largest concentration of data centers globally and supporting mission-critical cloud, AI, and national security operations. The rapid emergence of AI-driven workloads has dramatically increased power demand, grid complexity, and the need for a highly skilled workforce.

As AI workloads surge, Virginia utilities face unprecedented interconnection requests and a shortage of engineers and technicians skilled in AI computation, power systems, cooling, and clean energy integration.

"We are on the frontlines to see how data centers, and in particular AI use, are changing the power grid and the information available to those who rely on it-both as the owners of underlying infrastructure and end users ourselves," said MicahTill, manager, electric transmission system protection engineering, Dominion Energy Virginia. "George Mason is an important partner for us in that. The work here will allow stakeholders across our nation to proactively and collaboratively work toward the smooth adoption and integration of clean energy and AI data center technologies."

Workforce Development and Research Goals

The Virginia AI Data Center Research Lab will provide hands-on training for George Mason students, K-12 and community college programs, industry-led workforce development and certification, and internship and apprenticeship pipelines. It will promote joint research and development projects with utilities, data centers, and leading institutions. It will enable real-world experimentation on critical infrastructure challenges, including grid-responsive AI workload management, power quality and harmonics optimization, thermal-electrical interactions, small modular reactor and renewable energy integration, and data center resilience and energy efficiency.

The facility will generate Virginia's first publicly available open-source dataset capturing real data center electrical and thermal telemetry-data that is not commercially available-enabling statewide research and innovation that will benefit universities, utilities, and industry partners.

George Mason professor Liling Huang speaks with Glenn Davis, director of the Virginina Department of Energy (right) and Andre Marshall, George Mason's vice president for research, innovation, and economic development. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

Voices from Partners and Leadership

"Virginia Energy's investment in George Mason's Virginia AI Data Center Research Lab underscores our commitment to pairing world-class digital infrastructure with smart, sustainable energy systems," said Glenn Davis, the director of the Virginia Department of Energy. "By combining AI, advanced data center technology, and grid-interactive research in an open, university-based platform, this project helps ensure that Virginia continues to advance our clean energy and workforce goals. Virginia didn't become the data center capital of the world by accident. We earned it. And labs like this one are how we keep earning it."

"We are honored to receive this support from the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank and Virginia Energy to launch the Virginia AI Data Center Research Lab," said Ken Ball, dean of George Mason's College of Engineering and Computing. "This lab will give our students, faculty, and partners access to state-of-the-art AI and data center infrastructure, enabling cutting-edge research, hands-on training, and open-source data resources that will help secure George Mason's and Virginia's positions as global leaders in digital infrastructure and energy innovation."