When you think of the Greater Portland area in Oregon, images of lush green forest and miles of pristine coastline might come to mind. There’s no doubt that the state has a lot to offer for outdoor enthusiasts, but it’s becoming increasingly known amongst the digital infrastructure community in recent years for something entirely different.
The Greater Portland area, which includes Hillsboro, has emerged as a pivotal digital infrastructure hub. Tech companies, enterprises, cloud providers and network operators alike can leverage the area’s many advantages to meet the growing demand for more connectivity, which is a driving force for the way we live and do business. Let’s take a look at the factors contributing to the market’s success and what’s needed to position it for future demands.
Greater Portland & Hillsboro: Rising Data Center Stars
The Pacific Northwest, and in particular Portland and Hillsboro, have received the attention of the data center industry in recent years largely because of its stable climate and lower energy costs. The state is also home to a robust technology industry. Nicknamed the Silicon Forest, Oregon boasts more than 6,000 high-tech businesses, including Intel’s largest facility in the world. The strong, and growing, technology ecosystem creates a ripe environment for digital infrastructure service providers.
Further contributing to the digital landscape is the region’s extensive subsea cable network. Approximately 19 subsea cables land on Oregon’s coast, creating a critical junction for internet traffic that connects the state–and the Pacific Northwest region–to major global data hubs.
The Portland area is connected to major U.S. data center markets, like Silicon Valley in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, by numerous long-haul fiber routes that land in the area. Silicon Valley in particular is home to numerous leading global technology companies that are at the forefront of innovation. The ability to link a leading data center market with an emerging one in Portland enables the efficient transfer of data, positioning the Portland business community for further success.
BIG, Greater Portland and the Impact of New Dark Fiber Investments
Portland and Hillsboro are quickly being cemented as a leading data center community, driven by the strong business community and existing digital infrastructure. However, as the demand for data continues to grow, the need for local data center services will also rise to meet the needs of the local business community. Cushman & Wakefield’s 2024 Global Data Center Market Comparison shows there is approximately 1,000 MW of planned data center capacity in Oregon, including current and future construction projects. Bolstering the local digital infrastructure ecosystem with fast connectivity in between data centers is crucial, which is where we come in.
Bandwidth IG’s newly placed high-capacity and multi-conduit Greater Portland dark fiber network gives data centers and enterprises the low-latency service that modern business practices require for success in a diverse environment. Recognizing the importance of the needs within the market, Bandwidth IG has recently added mission-critical dark fiber conduits to 20 data centers. Our network is on-net to over a dozen critical data center campuses in the area, connecting key carrier aggregation points between Tier 3 enterprise data centers and major hyperscale campuses that enable AI and other modern applications.
Here are some key facts about our Greater Portland and Hillsboro dark fiber network:
- 72 conduit miles connecting multiple data centers
- Available capacity for over 200,000 fiber miles.
- Key data centers include
- Digital Realty Portland PDX 10 and Portland PDX 12
- Flexential Portland – Hillsboro 2 and Portland – Hillsboro 3
- EdgeConnex POR01
- NTT HI1 and HI2
- Stack POR02A and POR03
Check out our full building list here.
With plans to build into more data centers and add to our fiber network, the Greater Portland area will remain a high priority for the BIG team. We look forward to continuing to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of business success in this dynamic and emerging data center hub.