A Stamford, Connecticut-based data center developer had plans to build another data center facility for its portfolio. The company wanted a site with strong power interconnection capability and substantial onsite natural gas infrastructure. And of course, it needed a vast plot of land to house the facility.
It chose a 760-acre site in Little Rock, Arkansas, according to a Jan. 12 news release.
AVAIO Digital announced a $6 billion initial investment to start the first phase of a data center hub in Pulaski County, with the potential to reach $21 billion through full development, Mark McComiskey, CEO of AVAIO Digital, said in the release. The project marks the largest economic investment in Arkansas history, according to a post on X from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“Just last year, Arkansas led the way and passed legislation that reduced the regulatory timeline for new energy projects by more than half and offered new incentives to data center investments,” Gov. Sanders said in the release. “This announcement confirms that cutting red tape and cultivating a pro-business, pro-growth environment is not only appealing to companies, it is what makes Arkansas one of the best states to live and work.”
The data center developer anticipates power demand for the facility to reach up to 1 GW at final capacity, according to the release. Currently, the company is contracted with Entergy Arkansas for 150 MW of power.
The facility design includes high-efficiency sustainable elements, such as water-efficient cooling technologies, rainwater recapture systems, rooftop solar generation and advanced cooling-system economization to reduce overall power demand, per the release.
AVAIO expects construction of the first phase to start in the first quarter of 2026, with a completion date slated for June 2027, according to the release.
