Framework agreement with Johnson Controls outlines plans for modular data center production at dedicated factory in Arizona, expected to create more than 500 jobs

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “The AI race will not be won by one-off projects,” said Dan Wright, Co-Founder and CEO of Armada. “It will be won by the companies and countries that can manufacture, deploy, and continuously improve AI infrastructure, with speed, scale and sovereignty. At Galleon Forge One, we will do what America does best: build the industrial base to win.”

Galleon Forge One will span up to 400,000 square feet, and is expected to create 500 jobs, with additional roles in the domestic supply chain. Continuous production is planned to begin in the summer and will start with Leviathan, Armada’s megawatt-scale modular data centers built for high-density AI training and inference workloads, sovereign neo-cloud, and multi-tenant compute environments.

As part of today’s announcement, Armada and Johnson Controls are unveiling a Global Framework Agreement for modular data center systems. The company is also making an investment in Armada. Johnson Controls brings deep expertise in advanced thermal management and mission-critical building systems, supported by manufacturing leadership and a global footprint that includes more than 40,000 field personnel across all key regions. This reach enables Armada to produce and deploy sovereign AI infrastructure wherever customers need it.

“Johnson Controls is working with Armada to rapidly deliver secure modular data centers at scale,” said Joakim Weidemanis, Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Controls. “Together, we have already deployed units across the United States and around the world, demonstrating the expertise and global reach required to support mission-critical environments. Johnson Controls’ differentiated technology, U.S.-based manufacturing strength and Armada’s edge computing expertise will deliver the thermal‑critical environments that perform predictably, deploy quickly, and scale with confidence.”

Armada’s Series B was co-led by Overmatch, BlackRock and 8090 Industries. It is the company’s largest round to date and heavily oversubscribed, bringing total funding to nearly half a billion dollars. New strategic investors BlackRock, Johnson Controls, NightDragon, Mitsui and Singtel Innov8 participated in the round alongside existing investors including Overmatch, 8090 Industries, Felicis, Marlinspike, Shield Capital, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Silent Ventures, Veriten and Gladebrook.

With this raise, Armada is not just adding firepower to its balance sheet but unlocking modular data center capacity to enable organizations to achieve autonomous, AI-powered operations anywhere in the world. This ability is critical to preserving the industrial strength required to run AI at the edge, protect sensitive data, and sustain long-term operational advantage for the United States and its allies.

The company will use its Series B capital to support explosive growth, as well as new initiatives. From FY25-26 Armada recorded 540% customer bookings growth and significant interest in Leviathan. Q1 FY27 alone saw a 2000% increase in bookings growth, compared to Q1 the previous year.

Global Demand is Accelerating

Defense Edge Deployment: Armada supported an ally’s defense organization in deploying a Triton into the field in six days, demonstrating how customers can move from infrastructure need to operational capability without waiting on traditional data center construction cycles.

WinDC: WinDC selected Armada to provide the first network of portable AI factories designed to run on renewable energy that Australia’s national grid can’t absorb. As demand for real-time data processing and AI inference grows faster than centralized infrastructure supports, the customer began with a Triton and is scaling its sovereign AI infrastructure to a 10MW+ Leviathan deployment.

U.S. Navy: Armada enabled the U.S. Navy to deploy edge computing during a major multinational maritime exercise. Running mission applications including Minotaur on a Galleon aboard a communications-constrained vessel demonstrated how modular compute can support real-time decision-making, where centralized cloud infrastructure is limited or unavailable.

Aker BP: On the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Aker BP is performing building and testing, with an aim to deploy a Galleon on the Deepsea Nordkapp. Running AI models at the rig will move Aker BP and its alliance partners toward their ultimate goal of autonomous operations. Following and depending on a successful initial trial, Aker BP intends to scale AI capability across the fleet.

“At Aker BP, we are transforming how hydrocarbons are produced in the most challenging environments, and we know we cannot do it alone,” said Mads Rødsjø, VP, D&W Operations, Aker BP. “Our vision is real-time data processing, AI-ready workflows, and autonomous operations at the edge. Partnering with Armada gives us the infrastructure to make that vision a reality and scale across our fleet.”

Strategic Partnerships and Proven Deployments Drive Customer Momentum

Armada continues to expand its ecosystem and Marketplace through partnerships and collaborations with companies including Microsoft, NVIDIA, Palantir and Dell Technologies. These help customers deploy AI infrastructure faster, run workloads closer to where data is generated, and maintain control over sensitive data, models, and operations.

With dedicated Galleon manufacturing, strategic capital investments, and a growing partner ecosystem, Armada is scaling the infrastructure customers need to deploy AI across the world’s most demanding environments.

About Armada
Armada is the hyperscaler for the edge, delivering modular AI infrastructure from first deployment to AI factory with speed, scale and sovereignty. For more information, visit www.armada.ai.

Media contact: press@armada.ai

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SOURCE Armada