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A Stamford, Conn.-based data center developer had plans to build another data center for its portfolio. The company wanted a site with strong electrical interconnection capacity and significant on-site natural gas infrastructure. And, of course, he needed a large plot of land to house the facility.
He chose a 760 acre site in Little Rock, Arkansasaccording to a January 12 press release.
AVAIO Digital announced an initial investment of $6 billion to start the first phase of a data center in Pulaski County, with the potential to reach $21 billion through full development, AVAIO Digital CEO Mark McComiskey said in the release. The project marks the the largest economic investment in Arkansas historyaccording to a post on X by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“All of last year, Arkansas led the way and passed legislation that more than halved the regulatory timeline for new energy projects and provided new incentives for data center investments,” Governor Sanders said in the statement. “This announcement confirms that cut red tape and cultivating a pro-business, pro-growth environment is not only attractive to businesses, it’s what makes Arkansas one of the best states to live and work in.”
The data center developer expects the facility’s energy demand to reach up to 1 GW at final capacity, according to the statement. The company is currently under contract with Entergy Arkansas for 150 MW of power.
The facility’s design includes high-efficiency sustainable elements such as water-efficient cooling technologies, rainwater harvesting systems, rooftop solar generation and advanced cooling system savings to reduce overall energy demand, according to the release.
AVAIO expects construction of the first phase to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with an expected completion date of June 2027, according to the release.
