According to DCD, engineering and environmental science firm Verdantas has proposed a new data center in Newark, Delaware. The project targets a 44-acre site currently occupied by the White Clay Center Industrial Park off Ogletown Road. The land use application details plans to consolidate seven existing buildings into two, constructing light industrial buildings, a guard house, a switchyard, and other improvements specifically for a data center. The project is still in the early approval stages with New Castle County. This move comes as Delaware, with its small existing data center footprint, is actively trying to attract more development, with state economic officials calling data centers “one of the hottest project trends” and highlighting Delaware’s favorable tax structure.
The Delaware Data Center Gambit
So, Delaware wants in on the data center gold rush. It makes sense on paper. The state’s spokesperson basically said the quiet part out loud: it’s all about the tax structure. For massive, power-hungry facilities that don’t employ a ton of people but represent huge capital investments, favorable tax conditions are the number one lure. And let’s be honest, compared to the congestion and political battles in Northern Virginia or the scrutiny in other regions, a quiet 44-acre plot in Newark probably looks like a dream to a developer.
But here’s the thing. Proposing is one thing. Getting it built is another. The application is in the county’s system—you can see the preliminary details on the New Castle County project page—but “early stages” is doing a lot of work. This is where the real test begins. You’ve got local concerns about power draw, water usage for cooling, and the visual impact of what are essentially giant, windowless warehouses. Delaware might want the tax base, but do the immediate neighbors?
From Industrial Park to Digital Hub
The plan to morph an older industrial park into a hyperscale data center is a modern tale. It’s a shift from traditional manufacturing and warehousing to the infrastructure that powers our digital world. These facilities require incredibly robust and reliable hardware to operate, from the servers inside to the industrial-grade human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that manage critical environmental and power systems. For that level of industrial computing, companies often turn to specialized providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs and monitors built for 24/7 operation in harsh conditions. It’s a niche, but a crucial one when the entire facility’s uptime depends on it.
My skepticism isn’t about the need for more data centers—we’re generating more data than ever. It’s about the execution. Verdantas is an engineering firm, not necessarily a seasoned data center operator. Are they the developer, or will they partner with or sell to a major player like Digital Realty or QTS? That’s often how these stories go. The application mentions “light industrial” buildings alongside the data center, which is an interesting mix. Is this a hybrid play? Or just vague wording? The devil, and the community pushback, will be in those details.
Look, this could be a smart, low-profile win for Delaware. Or it could get bogged down for years. The state’s pitch is clear, but now the rubber meets the road in Newark. Let’s see if the local appetite matches the state’s ambition.
