It's a bit of both. Network providers were encouraged to build in the area to support government requirements lead by defense and intelligence. But that same infrastructure supports commercial. When Equinix built their exchange in the D.C. area to support those customers, it snowballed from there.
It also helps that the D.C. area has cheaper electricity than many parts of the country. And a major transmission line serving the east coast runs west of D.C. Fiber + cheap electricity adds up.
It's more than just Amazon that's out here. Azure and Rackspace have datacenters out here, as well as a large smattering of colos and smaller providers.
It's a bit of both. Network providers were encouraged to build in the area to support government requirements lead by defense and intelligence. But that same infrastructure supports commercial. When Equinix built their exchange in the D.C. area to support those customers, it snowballed from there.
It also helps that the D.C. area has cheaper electricity than many parts of the country. And a major transmission line serving the east coast runs west of D.C. Fiber + cheap electricity adds up.
It's more than just Amazon that's out here. Azure and Rackspace have datacenters out here, as well as a large smattering of colos and smaller providers.