A $10 billion “data center campus” is being planned for West Memphis, according to reports.
The West Memphis city council recently voted to approve several agreements with Groot LLC, including a $10 billion payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangement.
Memphis TV station WREG reported that Groot is believed to be backed by Google. City officials said Groot is a U.S.-based Fortune 100 company, but no company by that name is listed on the Fortune 100 list. However, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is No. 8 on the list, and the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website lists a Delaware company with a Little Rock address by the name of Groot.
The Memphis Business Journal reported that Groot is a local entity operating for Google and is planning the $10 billion data center in West Memphis so it could be close to Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer in Memphis.
“We’re excited to be working with a Fortune 100 company on a project that will bring high-paying jobs, cutting-edge infrastructure, and long-term growth to West Memphis,” Mayor Marco McClendon said in a statement sent to WREG.
A rendering of the planned project in West Memphis.
Earlier this year, Groot submitted plans to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for environmental approval for a five-building campus known as Project Pyramid. The project site is located on a 1,178-acre property on the south side of Bollinger Road near a Coca-Cola bottling plant.
