Amazon is backing a 7.65 GW gas plant for an off-grid TX AI data center, potentially the largest single US emissions source, at odds with its 2040 net-zero goal (Hiroko Tabuchi/New York Times)
The tech giant is investing in the natural-gas-burning power plant as part of a huge data center in Texas, even as it pledges to honor climate commitments.
Amazon is investing in a 7.65 GW natural-gas-burning power plant for an off-grid data center in Texas. According to the New York Times, this project may become the largest single source of emissions in the US. The data center is part of Amazon's expansion, despite its pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2040.
The investment in the gas plant seems at odds with Amazon's climate commitments. The company is backing the plant as part of a huge data center in Texas.
In a separate development, Amazon has started constructing a data center in Gilroy, California, on a 56-acre piece of farmland. The project adhered to local zoning rules set 45 years ago, avoiding scrutiny. The city and Amazon had disagreements during the permitting process, with the company reportedly frustrated by slow progress and the city pushing back on some requests.
Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, Tom's Hardware — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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- Internal Amazon documents reveal a major overhaul of one of the world's biggest AI data centers businessinsider.com
- Amazon’s new 7.65GW Texas AI data center power plant could become the largest source of CO₂ pollution in the US — custom 35-turbine gas plant authorized to emit 33 million tons of annual greenhouse gases tomshardware.com
