AVAIO Digital Partners announced plans for a major new data center campus near Little Rock in Pulaski County, Arkansas. Named AVAIO Digital Leo, the facility will support cloud computing and artificial intelligence applications with compute, networking, storage, and power infrastructure.
According to a press release, the project will be built in multiple phases, with an initial US$ 6 billion investment from AVAIO and its customers. Including over US$ 21 billion through full development of infrastructure to support the requirements from communities and partners.
Construction of the first phase is expected to start in early 2026 and be completed by June 2027. AVAIO has also contracted with Entergy Arkansas for 150 MW of power, though demand could reach 1 GW as the campus expands.
Mark McComiskey, AVAIO Digital, CEO, said, “It is our intention that the Little Rock area will be both a major pole of data center capacity and an engine of sustained economic and technological momentum for Arkansas.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas, Governor, said, “AVAIO Digital’s $6 billion data center hub represents the largest economic investment in Arkansas’ history and sets the Natural State up to become a technology powerhouse that can compete with any state in the nation.”
Hugh McDonald, Arkansas, Secretary of Commerce, said, “We’re excited about AVAIO’s commitment to Arkansas and the significant benefits it will bring to the state for years to come.”
Jay Chesshir, Little Rock Regional Chamber, President and CEO, said, “The location was chosen for its low-latency connectivity to major data center markets, ample power infrastructure, and 760-acre campus capable of supporting multi-building development.”
The campus is expected to create more than 500 permanent operations jobs over five years, with thousands more during construction. The Leo Data Hub adds to AVAIO Digital’s growing portfolio of hyperscale projects in the U.S. and Western Europe.