NYT: North Texas a hot spot for data centers

​​NEW YORK – ​Data centers have gained a foothold in North Texas. While that w​​ill come as little surprise to readers of RECON and NewsTalk Texas, which regularly publish stories about data center openings, now the news has spread all the way to the East​​ Coast.

​Tuesday, the New York Times ran an article​ saying Dallas-Fort Worth ranks among the nation’s top five data center locations.

In square footage for multitenant data centers, the Metroplex ranks fourth, with 2.8 million sf, according to 451 Research, a New York-based firm that analyzes information technology trends.

Suburban Northern Virginia, near Washington D.C.​, is widely considered the nation’s top data center market.

The article says the key to Texas’ success is its robust economic growth, business-friendly tax climate, abundant sources of water, and dependable electricity.

"State and local leaders across the country have increasingly made data centers a target of their community development strategies," the article says, "often by offering tax incentives and other inducements. While data centers, with relatively small staffs, are not a big source of jobs, they contain millions of dollars of components that provide a lucrative source of tax revenue, even with abatements."

The Texas​​ governor’s office says there are at least 200 enterprise and multitenant data centers across the 13 counties in the DFW area.