Developers of the $1 billion data center project in Little Rock, Arkansas, have been revealed to be Google. While not officially announced by Google, local press reports say industry sources have revealed the identity of the developer. Two sources have noted that negotiations regarding the project were ongoing between Google and the city officials from Little Rock. This is according to a report by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

However officials including executive director Bryan Day and Jack Thomas declined to comment, citing NDAs. Plans for the data center first emerged in April 2025, when it was approved by the city’s board of directors. The facility is also expected to see $1bn in investment and will span 300,000 sq ft (27,870 sqm). The applicant behind the development is Willowbend Capital LLC.

The Conway project is being promoted by Forgelight Ventures LLC, a company incorporated by Michael Montfort, who is additionally listed as the incorporator of Willowbend Capital. Data centers across the U.S. are gaining traction with the government offering a hand to ensure some such as the Savannah River State AI data center take shape.

Scope on the Little Rock Data Center Project in Arkansas

The Little Rock data center project shares some similarities to the Conway data center project. For one, it received approval in April 2025 and will also see $1 billion invested in a 300,000 sq. ft. data center. At the time of the announcement, the unnamed developer was said to be a US-based Fortune 100 company. In recent months, Google has signed a 100MW PPA with Treaty Oak in Arkansas.

The cloud giant also revealed a $4 billion investment commitment to the state in October 2025. At the time, the investment was slated for Google’s first data center in the state, which would be located in West Memphis, Arkansas. The campus, known as Project Pyramid, will comprise five buildings on a 1,178-acre property on the south side of Bollinger Road in West Memphis, Crittenden County. Arkansas currently has a small data center market, but is seeing growing interest.

Project Factsheet:

• Project name: Little Rock Data Center
  • Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
  • Estimated investment: $1 billion
• Developer (linked): Google
  • Disclosure status: Not officially confirmed
• identified through industry and local press sources
  • Source reporting: Arkansas Democrat Gazette
• Applicant entity: Willowbend Capital LLC
  • Promoter: Forgelight Ventures LLC
  • Associated individual: Michael Montfort
• Facility scale:
  – Approximate size: 300,000 sq. ft (27,870 sq. m)
  – Single-campus data center development
• Approval status:
  – City board approval granted in April 2025
  – Key stakeholders declined comment due to NDAs
• Project parallels:
  – Similar scope and value to Conway, Arkansas data center project
  – Both approved in April 2025
  – Both associated with a Fortune 100 U.S.-based developer
• Strategic indicators:
  – Google signed a 100MW power purchase agreement with Treaty Oak in Arkansas
  – $4 billion statewide investment commitment announced in October 2025
• Related development:
  – Project Pyramid, West Memphis, Arkansas
  – Five-building campus on 1,178 acres
  – Google’s first officially announced data center in the state
• Market context:
  – Arkansas remains an emerging data center market
  – Increasing hyperscale interest driven by power availability and land scale