Published Fri, Oct 2, 2026 · 05:38 PM
[WASHINGTON] Amazon’s cloud computing division said on Friday (Oct 2) it would invest more than US$1 billion over the next five years in US communities where it has data centres, and vowed to tackle their impacts on electricity and water usage.
Data centres, which provide the computing power to train and run artificial intelligence models, have drawn opposition in communities nationwide over concerns about electricity demand, utility costs and other local impacts. The backlash poses a political challenge for Republicans heading into the US midterm elections on Nov 3.
Amazon said it had invested US$276 billion in data centres between 2011 and 2025, and had large projects or expansions in the works in many states including Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) said the community investment plans announced on Friday would include spending on education, job training, energy affordability, water…
