A California-based data center giant appears to be behind the proposed purchase of 75 acres in Loudoun County, which it plans to develop into a 750,000-square-foot data center campus.
Fresh off its late-July ribbon cutting of a 150,000-square-foot data center in Ashburn, RagingWire Inc. looks to be in line to spend another $20 million to grow its Virginia operations.
I hedge for a reason. No one will confirm RagingWire as the buyer. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the sale Tuesday evening, though a study period will delay closing for at least 90 days.
On Monday, I bet that Dupont Fabros Technology Inc. was the prospective mystery purchaser. I was wrong. A Dupont Fabros spokesman Tuesday said the data center giant is not behind TRW #12 LLC, the corporation that offered an unsolicited bid to buy the Ashburn land.
The mystery continued, but the clues have led to RagingWire. Specifically, RagingWire’s CFO is listed in county documents as the CFO of TRW #12. Not to mention, RW? RagingWire? It all makes sense now.
The property is located on the west side of Waxpool and Farmwell roads. It represents two-thirds of a 101.3-acre parcel that, more than a decade ago, was slated to become the Islamic Saudi Academy’s new home. The county purchased the property in 2004 for $13.5 million after the Fairfax-based academy abandoned its plans.
A RagingWire spokesman could not be reached for comment, and the county has declined to name the buyer.
Ashburn continues to be a data center, well, epicenter, between the massive campuses of Dupont Fabros, Digital Realty Trust and Equinix, RagingWire’s growing presence and Sabey Data Center Properties planned 490,000-square-foot operation.
