AVAIO Digital plans to construct a $6 billion data center complex near Little Rock, launching a project expected to be the largest single economic investment in Arkansas history.
The 760-acre campus, named AVAIO Digital Leo, will be located in Pulaski County. It is designed to support surging infrastructure demands of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and high-performance computing workloads.
While the initial phase represents a $6billion capital injection, total investment is expected to exceed $21 billion upon the full buildout of the multi-phase campus.
"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," Gov. Sarah Sanders said.
Construction on the first phase is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Officials expect the facility to be energized and operational by June 2027.
The project is estimated to create thousands of construction jobs during the development phase and more than 500 permanent, full-time operations jobs once the campus construction is complete.
According to AVAIO Digital reports, in order to support the energy-intensive operations required by AI processing, AVAIO contracted the leading integrated energy company for Arkansas, Entergy Arkansas, for an initial 150 megawatts of power. As the campus expands, anticipated power demand could reach up to 1 gigawatt.
The facility will incorporate on-site natural gas infrastructure and sustainable design features, including water-efficient cooling, rainwater recapture and rooftop solar panels intended to reduce overall energy consumption.
This announcement follows recent legislative moves in Arkansas designed to attract large-scale digital infrastructure. According Sanders, per Arkansas Economic Development Commission, new state laws have reduced regulatory timelines for energy projects and established specific incentives for data center investments.
AVAIO Digital’s reports outline support from numerous members of local government and leaders in local business and economics.
Photo by Gtwodahit on Wikimedia Commons
.jpg)
.jpg)
