Hillsboro Oregon Leads the Country in Technology Facilities with Primary Data Centers Up 78%

A report from commercial real estate firm CBRE has shown that Hillsboro, Oregon, has been leading the country in the construction of new primary data centers for the first half of 2023, lagging just behind Dallas, Texas, and the entirety of northern Virginia. The growth of these data centers has been on the uprise since 2020, springing up 78% since then.

In case you aren’t familiar, data centers are server hubs, where many different companies store their data. It’s a great source of income for cities that house these and help to provide jobs to those that need them. This is especially true as incentives from the state are beginning to attract semiconductor manufacturers to dig their roots into the area. It’s an economic boost that the city and the state need and are helping Oregon to rise back up for a post-pandemic era.

There are concerns, however, with the main ones being over the balancing of resources. This includes both land and electricity. Hillsboro does have a capacity, after all, and as state money goes to entice semiconductor and microchip manufacturers, that means the companies will either have to fight for these resources, or there will need to be expansion of some sort. For some, the environment really matters to Hillsboro, and by having these data centers come in, consume resources, and potentially demand expansion, there are people who fear that these technology facilities might take over the town and have it lose its charm.

For now, most agree that the data centers are positive, but there are many who do keep in mind the fact that Hillsboro has an identity it wants to keep and an environment it wants to preserve. For now, we can only wait and see where all of those goes.