Amazon is pledging $1 billion to communities near its data centers

Amazon's cloud computing division, AWS, has pledged to invest over $1 billion in US communities where it has data centers over the next five years. The investment will focus on education, job training, energy affordability, and water and energy preservation in areas where the company is building its AI infrastructure.

According to AWS, the investment is part of its "Built Together" program, which aims to address local concerns about the impact of data centers on electricity demand, utility costs, and other community priorities. The company has invested $276 billion in data centers between 2011 and 2025 and has ongoing projects in several states, including Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Mississippi.

AWS has also set a goal to be water-positive across its data centers by 2030. The company is facing opposition to its data center projects nationwide, with over 100 data center moratoriums being considered across the country due to concerns about environmental, energy, and economic impacts.

Brief written by urgent.news from Quartz, The Business Times - Companies & Markets — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.