AVAIO Digital Partners announced plans for a new $6 billion data center hub in Pulaski County, marking what state officials say is the largest economic investment in Arkansas history.
The project, known as AVAIO Digital Leo, will be built on a 760‑acre site off 145th Street south of Little Rock and is expected to accelerate the state’s rapidly expanding technology sector.
The campus, named after the constellation Leo, will house computing, networking, data‑storage systems and power infrastructure that support cloud computing and artificial intelligence applications.
The development will occur in multiple phases, beginning with a $6 billion combined investment from AVAIO and its customers in infrastructure, power and tenant deployments.
Construction on the first phase is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026 and is expected to be completed and energized by June 2027. AVAIO is currently contracted with Entergy Arkansas for 150 megawatts of power, though the company anticipates demand could grow to 1 gigawatt as the facility expands.
State officials say the project will create more than 500 full‑time jobs over the next five years, with thousands more expected during construction. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised the announcement, calling it a milestone for the state’s economic future.
“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,” Sanders said. She credited recent legislation that shortened regulatory timelines for energy projects and expanded incentives for data‑center development.
The Little Rock site was selected for its access to multiple long‑haul and regional fiber routes connecting to major data‑center markets such as Dallas, Atlanta and Memphis as well as emerging edge markets across the Southeast and Midwest.
The location also offers rapid grid‑power delivery from Entergy, substantial on‑site natural‑gas infrastructure and enough acreage to support a large multi‑building campus with on‑site power generation.
AVAIO says the campus will incorporate sustainable design features, including water‑efficient cooling systems, rainwater recapture, rooftop solar generation and advanced cooling‑system economization to reduce overall power demand
The project is expected to contribute significant fiscal benefits to Arkansas and expand workforce‑development opportunities across the region as the state positions itself as a growing hub for digital infrastructure.