Amazon Pitches Community Perks to Ease Data Center Backlash

Amazon is rolling out a charm offensive to keep its AI ambitions from running into local roadblocks. In a 3,100-word memo Friday, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman called the buildout of AI data centers “the race our nation can’t afford to lose” and pledged more than $1 billion over five years for nearby communities, on top of what has already been committed, including funding for schools, job training, and water initiatives, the Wall Street Journal reports. Amazon plans $220 billion in capital spending in 2026, largely on data centers. Garman likened the surge to the building of the interstate highway system

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