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　April 9, 2026 – The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Japan office hosted a Seminar on “The Lastest Trends in Data Centers and Energy Industry”. The event was held in Tokyo and co-hosted by Keidanrena and JETRO, more than 100 people participated.

 

Welcome Message from Governor Spanberger (video) and Virginia Introduction by Jason El Koubi (photos provided by JETRO)

 

　The commencement of the event was marked by a video message from Governor Abigail Spanberger, the inaugural female Governor of Virginia who took office in January 2026. The CEO and President of VEDP, Jason El Koubi provided opening remarks that highlighted the business environment of Virginia has been an investment destination for many foreign companies, including over 130 Japanese companies, from cloud & AI infrastructure and the energy supply chain, to semiconductors, industrial machinery, logistics, and advanced materials. Two companies located in Virginia were keynote speakers for the seminar: Hitachi and NTT Global Data.

 

　Virginia has the largest data center market in the world and continues to grow requiring a robust supply chain from digiital infrastructure of fiber optic cables to equipment and components. With the growth of data centers across Virignia, a need for electricity demand has led to energy supply chain opportuntiies.

 

　During the seminar, VEDP featured two distinguished keynote speakers with operations in Virginia who presented on opportunities directly related to the topic at hand: Hitachi and NTT Global Data.

 

　Hitachi operates nine facilities in five cities in Virginia, employing 1,100 individuals. Recently, the company undertook a significant expansion to enhance the production of small and medium-sized transformers and related products for U.S. domestic power grids and industrial facilities in South Boston (southern region of the state). As stated by Keiichi Shimada, Director of the company’s Washington D.C. corporate office, the rapid expansion of electricity demand has not been met by the current transformer production capacity. Consequently, to meet the demand for large power transformers that have been imported from outside the United States, the company announced a significant investment in its factory in September 2025. This investment is expected to contribute to improving the stability of the U.S. electrical grid and support booming AI data centers, creating more than 825 new jobs. Press Release

 

　NTT Global Data Centers operates two data center campuses in Northern Virginia: the primary operational Ashburn Campus in Loudoun County and the upcoming Gainesville Campus in Prince William County. The Ashburn Campus currently has six operational buildings with three additional planned expansions, bringing its total planned power capacity from 166 MW up to 224 MW. Meanwhile, the Gainesville Campus is scheduled to complete its first building in 2027. Koji Hara, the company’s Director of Strategic Investment, noted that while these infrastructure capabilities drive data center concentration in Northern Virginia, the region’s top-tier talent pool is uniquely significant. He also emphasized that the diverse investment support provided by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) was instrumental to the success of both projects.

 

JETRO details on the seminar:
https://www.jetro.go.jp/biznews/2026/04/3f94b6379dd62bfd.html

 

　As a follow up to the Seminar, VEDP Japan and JETRO NY will co-host a Mission in Virignia to showcase investment opporutnies within the data center and energy supply chain. More details will be shared once dates have been confirmed.

 

　To learn how Virginia can support potential growth in U.S. market, please inquire here.