$10B data center deal comes as area emerges as tech hub
For almost a year, West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon has hinted on News Channel Three at 3 that he would be unveiling the biggest investment in the history of West Memphis, Arkansas, very soon.
'We've been on a winning streak for so long, and so many great things are coming in the next couple of weeks. You're going to hear about the biggest investment in the City of West Memphis,' said Mayor McClendon.
The biggest investment is believed to be a Fortune 100 company that's planning a $10 billion data center.
It would be located on 920 acres of land on Bollinger Road near the Coca-Cola distribution warehouse. The data center is expected to create 300 new jobs.
A city spokesperson, citing non-disclosure agreements, would only tell Your News Leader that they're working with a company called Groot LLC.
Fortune 100 company working to build data center in West Memphis, city says
However, the Memphis Business Journal is reporting that Groot is a local entity operating for Google, one of the world's largest companies.
Last week, the West Memphis City Council voted to approve several agreements with Groot, including payment in lieu of taxes, along with an infrastructure and incentives package. But complete details haven't been released.
The possible deal comes as the Memphis area emerges as a tech hub.
'What we love about that Memphis is suddenly now on that stage for technology companies, data centers that are considering major investments here,' said Ted Townsend, Greater Memphis Chamber CEO and President.
The Memphis area now has 11 data centers, including the Elon Musk Xai supercomputer, and a new data center is being planned on Getwell Road, the old Fred's headquarters.
'That's exciting to us, where we adapt and reuse these facilities. And what once was an Electrolux facility is now the world's largest supercomputer, and once was Fred's headquarters is now going to be a data center,' said Townsend.
Pearson calls out Health Department, Mayor Harris over xAI
But as more data centers come to the Mid-South, there are public concerns about transparency and the impact on the environment as the Memphis area becomes the heartbeat of the Digital Delta.
'We have to support economic development, but we certainly can't do it at the cost of a community that has historically been mistreated and not given the whole truth,' said TN Senator Raumesh Akbari, (D) Memphis. 'So, that's what I'm looking for, what turbines are actually being used, and what is the environmental impact? What's the air quality impact? What's the water impact?'
The City of West Memphis has also agreed to a 65% real and personal property tax abatement for 30 years with Groot LLC.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Tom's Guide
11 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I tested Call Screening on iOS 26 vs Android 16 — and there's a clear winner
Apple's making a lot of noise surrounding its iOS 26 public beta release, which is filled with new features that make using any of the best iPhones even better. If there's one iOS 26 feature you absolutely need to try, it has to be Call Screen, In fact, it's what my colleague Philip Michaels specifically calls out as being 'one of the most exciting' new things he's experienced in his iOS 26 preview. I have to agree because it gives you more control of how to approach phone calls going forward. However, I can't neglect to remind you about Google's similar feature — also called Call Screen — that leans on Google Assistant to take phone calls on your behalf. When I first tested it with my Pixel 8 Pro a couple of years ago, I said it was the most impressive smartphone feature I tested out. The two competing features are fundamentally the same, tasked to reduce spam calls and inquire about their reason to call you. I've been testing out the iOS 26 beta for some time now, so I want to share how the iOS 26 Call Screen feature compares to how Android 16 with the Pixel 9 lineup. For this test, I asked AI to generate a phone call script for three different phone call conversations to two phones — an iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 26 beta and a Pixel 9 Pro running the Android 16 beta. For this first test, I used another phone to place a phone call pretending to be a package delivery courier. Here's the message I left: Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'I'm calling because I need to drop off a package for John Velasco. It's a medium sized box that needs to be signed for and I need to know if someone could come down and sign it.' With Call Screen in iOS 26, I'm greeted by the assistant who tells me to leave a message on what I'm calling about. What I like about Call Screen in iOS 26 is that I can see the transcript in real time as they're leaving the message, but since this feature isn't tied to Apple Intelligence, it messes up by thinking that the caller is me. Regardless, I gave a response to send me more details, but Call Screen proceeded to tell them to leave a message. That's pretty much the extent of the interaction with iOS 26. In contrast, the Call Screen in Android 16 is much more reliable in my opinion. After leaving the same message, Google Assistant intelligently provides me with contextual responses that I can select directly from my Pixel 9 Pro. What makes this better is that these responses are generated automatically, which shows how AI is really working behind the scenes to understand what the conversation is about. Winner: Android 16 Although both platforms are improving the way they block spam calls, you might still find one come through every now and then. For this next test, I pretended to be a salesperson — you know — the stuff you're likely to hang up for right away. Here's my pitch: "This is John Smith calling from Sparkle Clean Solutions. We're a local company dedicated to helping homeowners like yourself achieve truly pristine living spaces. And the reason for my call today is a quick question about your home cleaning." Again, Call Screen in iOS 26 asks to leave a message that's automatically shown on my iPhone 16 Pro Max. While it's convenient that I can type my response to have the assistant relay it, I wish I could be given smarter responses to choose from like Call Screen on Android 16, but it doesn't. At least the assistant politely responds by telling them 'no thanks' and to leave a more detailed message. The Pixel 9 Pro, along with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, proves a point of how helpful AI could be. This interaction with Call Screen in Android 16 is a perfect example because right after the message is left, Google Assistant instantly identifies it as a spam call — which I find hilarious to be the first option in its list of actions. They don't even get the chance to leave a message because once I tap 'report as spam,' it ends the phone call and it's identified as a suspicious call. Winner: Android 16 For this final test, I pretended to be someone calling on behalf of someone who's in the hospital seeking medical help. This is the kind of call I'd want to answer, so I was really interested to see how Call Screen handles it. Here's the message I left: "Listen, I'm calling because Jimmy is in the hospital. He was admitted to Good Enough Medical Center at about 3:00 pm today. The reason I'm calling is because I really need some help. Jimmy needs someone to bring over a change of clothes and their glasses, and he's not able to communicate clearly right now, and the doctors are asking questions about his medical history." Call Screen in iOS 26 simply cannot provide meaningful actions or responses other than telling the caller to leave a more detailed message. In a real-life situation, I would pick up the call right away after reading the message on my iPhone — but the only thing they can do is to leave another message. Meanwhile, I think Android 16 has trouble with this one as well because it doesn't give me as much variety with the responses as the other two conversations. I asked them to tell me more about why they're calling, but the only options at my disposal were to simply thank them for letting me know. Still, it's an acknowledgement and goes one extra step further than iOS 26. Winner: Android 16 I said it before, I'll say it again. Call Screen in Android 16 is one of the best smartphone features around — and it shows why Google has some of the best AI phones around. The ability for Google Assistant to listen and generate intelligent responses is proof of how AI is making a big impact. Even though the feature didn't get a boost with the release of the Pixel 9, I'm hoping that Google refines it in such a way with the forthcoming Pixel 10 reveal at its next Made by Google event next month. For Apple, it's a good first step with Call Screen in iOS 26. Although it's basic in what it offers in its current iteration, I'm hoping that it's somehow injected with some Apple Intelligence love later on. Despite not revealing any new Apple Intelligence features at its iOS 26 reveal during WWDC 2025, the company's reportedly working on bringing new ones at a later time. I hope it involves Call Screen because it'd be nice if the assistant could make proper responses.


Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Meta clashes with Apple, Google over age check legislation
The biggest tech companies are warring over who's responsible for children's safety online, with billions of dollars in fines on the line as states rapidly pass conflicting laws requiring companies to verify users' ages. The struggle has pitted Meta Platforms Inc. and other app developers against Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, the world's largest app stores. Lobbyists for both sides are moving from state to state, working to water down or redirect the legislation to minimize their clients' risks. This year alone, at least three states — Utah, Texas and Louisiana — passed legislation requiring tech companies to authenticate users' ages, secure parental consent for anyone under 18 and ensure minors are protected from potentially harmful digital experiences. Now, lobbyists for all three companies are flooding into South Carolina and Ohio, the next possible states to consider such legislation. The debate has taken on new importance after the Supreme Court this summer ruled age verification laws are constitutional in some instances. A tech group on Wednesday petitioned the Supreme Court to block a social media age verification law in Mississippi, teeing up a highly consequential decision in the next few weeks. Child advocates say holding tech companies responsible for verifying the ages of their users is key to creating a safer online experience for minors. Parents and advocates have alleged the social media platforms funnel children into unsafe and toxic online spaces, exposing young people to harmful content about self harm, eating disorders, drug abuse and more. Meta supporters argue the app stores should be responsible for figuring out whether minors are accessing inappropriate content, comparing the app store to a liquor store that checks patrons' IDs. Apple and Google, meanwhile, argue age verification laws violate children's privacy and argue the individual apps are better-positioned to do age checks. Apple said it's more accurate to describe the app store as a mall and Meta as the liquor store. The three new state laws put the responsibility on app stores, signaling Meta's arguments are gaining traction. The company lobbied in support of the Utah and Louisiana laws putting the onus on Apple and Google for tracking their users' ages. Similar Meta-backed proposals have been introduced in 20 states. Federal legislation proposed by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah would hold the app stores accountable for verifying users' ages. Still, Meta's track record in its state campaigns is mixed. At least eight states have passed laws since 2024 forcing social media platforms to verify users' ages and protect minors online. Apple and Google have mobilized dozens of lobbyists across those states to argue that Meta is shirking responsibility for protecting children. 'We see the legislation being pushed by Meta as an effort to offload their own responsibilities to keep kids safe,' said Google spokesperson Danielle Cohen. 'These proposals introduce new risks to the privacy of minors, without actually addressing the harms that are inspiring lawmakers to act.' Meta spokesperson Rachel Holland countered that the company is supporting the approach favored by parents who want to keep their children safe online. 'Parents want a one-stop-shop to oversee their teen's online lives and 80% of American parents and bipartisan lawmakers across 20 states and the federal government agree that app stores are best positioned to provide this,' Holland said. As the regulation patchwork continues to take shape, the companies have each taken voluntary steps to protect children online. Meta has implemented new protections to restrict teens from accessing 'sensitive' content, like posts related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Apple created 'Child Accounts,' which give parents more control over their children's' online activity. At Apple, spokesperson Peter Ajemian said it 'soon will release our new age assurance feature that empowers parents to share their child's age range with apps without disclosing sensitive information.' As the lobbying battle over age verification heats up, influential big tech groups are splintering and new ones emerging. Meta last year left Chamber of Progress, a liberal-leaning tech group that counts Apple and Google as members. Since then, the chamber, which is led by a former Google lobbyist and brands itself as the Democratic-aligned voice for the tech industry, has grown more aggressive in its advocacy against all age verification bills. 'I understand the temptation within a company to try to redirect policymakers towards the company's rivals, but ultimately most legislators don't want to intervene in a squabble between big tech giants,' said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. Meta tried unsuccessfully to convince another major tech trade group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, to stop working against bills Meta supports, two people familiar with the dynamics said. Meta, a CCIA member, acknowledged it doesn't always agree with the association. Meta is also still a member of NetChoice, which opposes all age verification laws no matter who's responsible. The group currently has 10 active lawsuits on the matter, including battling some of Meta's preferred laws. The disagreements have prompted some of the companies to form entirely new lobbying outfits. Meta in April teamed up with Spotify Technology SA and Match Group Inc. to launch a coalition aimed at taking on Apple and Google, including over the issue of age verification. Meta is also helping to fund the Digital Childhood Alliance, a coalition of conservative groups leading efforts to pass app-store age verification, according to three people familiar with the funding. Neither the Digital Childhood Alliance nor Meta responded directly to questions about whether Meta is funding the group. But Meta said it has collaborated with Digital Childhood Alliance. The group's executive director, Casey Stefanski, said it includes more than 100 organizations and child safety advocates who are pushing for more legislation that puts responsibility on the app stores. Stefanski said the Digital Childhood Alliance has met with Google 'several times' to share their concerns about the app store in recent months. The App Association, a group backed by Apple, has been running ads in Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Ohio arguing that the app store age verification bills are backed by porn websites and companies. The adult entertainment industry's main lobby said it is not pushing for the bills; pornography is mostly banned from app stores. 'This one-size fits all approach is built to solve problems social media platforms have with their systems while making our members, small tech companies and app developers, collateral damage,' said App Association spokesperson Jack Fleming. In South Carolina and Ohio, there are competing proposals placing different levels of responsibility on the app stores and developers. That could end with more stringent legislation that makes neither side happy. 'When big tech acts as a monolith, that's when things die,' said Joel Thayer, a supporter of the app store age verification bills. 'But when they start breaking up that concentration of influence, all the sudden good things start happening because the reality is, these guys are just a hair's breath away from eating each other alive.' Birnbaum writes for Bloomberg.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Index Ventures' Jahanvi Sardana shares the truth about TAM and what founders should focus on instead
Early-stage founders just can't get away from TAM — the concept of having a total addressable market for their startup to disrupt and conquer. But Index Ventures partner Jahanvi Sardana has a reminder for all those founders worried about finding TAM for their product or service: Many startups have emerged from markets that, at the time, were essentially nonexistent. 'What was the market for search before Google?' Sardana asked the audience at TechCrunch's 2025 All Stage event in Boston, held earlier this month. 'What was the market for operating systems before Microsoft, or the market for cloud before Amazon?' Sardana compares TAM to surfing. Every few years, there are massive waves founders must ride — first came the internet, then the mobile wave, then the cloud, and now, she said, the biggest wave of all: artificial intelligence. 'Have you shaped the right product to ride this wave?' she continued. 'That's what we call product-market fit.' Which TAM bucket are you in? Sardana places TAM into three buckets: known market, emerging market, and invisible market. The first, known market, already exists, and it is when a founder seeks to replace a legacy incumbent and must prove to an investor why their startup idea is better. 'Everyone brushes their teeth,' she said. 'You have to tell me why you're building a better toothbrush.' The emerging market is when a certain sector of the market is using a product, and there is potential for it to go mainstream. 'Think about non-alcoholic beer before it became cool,' Sardana said. Then there is the invisible market, which Sardana calls 'the biggest trap,' and 'also a little bit of a dark art.' The market doesn't exist, and a founder has to essentially create one and provide investors with evidence of how innovative they can be. 'Think about smartphones in 2006; nobody knew they wanted them and they changed the world,' she said, later adding that 'people don't know what they're looking for and sometimes you have to show them what's possible.' The audience at All Stage, many of whom are early-stage founders, peppered Sardana with questions, largely about what investors want to see. For instance, do investors want to see a TAM slide in a pitch deck? 'It's OK to create that slide and talk about the math behind your TAM,' Sardana said, though she added that sometimes investors get annoyed when founders rely too much on industry metrics rather than having their own unique insight. Sardana also cautioned founders not to rely too much on industry reports. If a founder is too dependent on an external service to dictate how they think about the market, it can signal that they haven't thought deeply about the market they are trying to build in, she commented. 'How do you size the TAM in the marketplaces, especially big marketplaces?' one audience member asked. 'Well, that question hurts,' Sardana quipped. After all, Index once passed on Airbnb, having believed its TAM was too small. 'The reality is Airbnb created a whole new inventory, which is now bigger than some of the largest hotel brands, and that led to a big change in behavior on how people travel,' she said, adding that marketplace TAMs are tricky. 'You want to focus on, again, what is unlocking supply, and once you unlock the supply, how will behavior change?' The audience also asked Sardana what makes a company stand out to an investor like herself. A tough one, Sardana said, but a really important one. Ultimately, if a founder can understand who the customer is and why they are willing to purchase their product, then a company should have no problem standing up to investors, she added. 'We're in the business of evaluating founders more than markets or products or anything else,' she said. 'When you talk about your market, it's really a lens on your ambition.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data