Although updates on Conway’s forthcoming AI data center have been sparse since its announcement in April 2025, state government officials still believe that AI will make major strides throughout the year.
According to Talk Business, the natural state currently has four AI data centers in the works. The centers will be located in the Pulaski/North Little Rock area, the port of Little Rock, Conway, Clarksville and West Memphis.
Around $12 billion will be invested into the four centers all together.
Arkansas Secretary of Commerce, Hugh McDonald, said to Talk Business, “These hyperscale data centers have been all over the country. We’re new to the table, frankly. They’ve been on the East Coast for quite some time, then in Texas, [and the] West Coast.”
According to McDonald, AI data centers have shown curiosity in Arkansas due to its low-cost energy, land and water, as well as its new data center incentive – approved during a 2023 state legislature session – that gives AI data centers a tax and sales exemption and a scaled back permit time of only six months.
“We’re working with them as they need us. But primarily how these data centers evaluate their alternatives, because power is such a critical need, they work with the utility companies first and mostly work with the utility companies,” McDonald said to Talk Business. “And we get involved somewhere along the line. But we’re not out there recruiting data centers like we recruit steel manufacturers or aerospace defense or lithium. They’re coming here on their own volition just because the environment is right for them.”
While many of the centers seem to be slowmoving, government officials have failed to comment on the projects’ current timelines, citing NDA disclosure agreements, according to Data Center Dynamics and Arkansas Times.
The developer behind the Little Rock port center has remained a mystery since its beginning stages, however, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported that the project may be spearheaded by Google.
“Google has not formally announced its involvement in the project. The internet search giant, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is building a $4 billion data center campus in West Memphis,” the article read.
The upcoming Conway data center’s developer has also remained a mystery, however, this one remains unsolved. The only current information available is that the developer is a “Fortune 100” company.
Both the Conway and Little Rock port locations will have around $1 billion invested into each according to Talk Business.
The Conway location will be built on 336 acres of land near Lollie Road.
According to Arkansas Times – during a Sept. 2025 city council meeting – Brad Lacy, a Conway economic development professional, said, “I’ve seen them [AI data centers] really embrace the communities they are in. So, I can’t promise you everything, but I do think that out of all the potential players we could have locked arms with, I’m not sure we could’ve done better. If we want a piece of the AI economy, I think we got a great partner to do that with.”
Lastly, the Little Rock/Pulaski location is being developed by AVAIO digital partners, with an estimated budget of $6 billion. The center will be built on 760 acres of land located near Interstate 530 and 145th Street, south of Little Rock, according to Talk Business.
Talk Business has also reported that there are no current plans for data centers in Northwest Arkansas.