Building the future with local communities

The next era of progress will be powered by AI, and we're shaping it with the communities where we build and operate data centers. We call this Built Together—a commitment guided by facts, shared investment, and the priorities of local communities.

October 15, 2026

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Powering the digital backbone of America

AI will power businesses, hospitals, schools, and public services, funded by private industry. Big changes bring questions and misinformation; we lead with facts and invest in the communities where we operate.

Article

The race our nation can’t afford to lose, plus a new commitment from us and a fresh set of community investments

by Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services

Oct 2, 2026

12 min

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Action

$1B

$1 billion in additional funding dedicated to communities where we operate data centers.
Article

10 ways Amazon is using AI to help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges

Jul 28, 2026

4 min

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How we show up in the communities where we operate data centers

We share plans early, invite open dialogue, and invest directly in the places we join, so communities have a real seat at the table.

Learn more

Community

The Amazon Data Center Commitment

We've codified our practices into a series of tenets that guide how we build and operate everywhere we go.

Transparency

No NDAs

We no longer use nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) with the government agencies we work with on our projects.

Engagement

Open houses in communities

We host open houses to share what we're doing, listen to concerns, and answer questions directly as projects progress.

Introducing Built Together

We're doing our part to build responsibly and in collaboration with the communities we join. Through Built Together, Amazon will add more than $1 billion over the next five years to what we're already doing, directing funds toward education, job training, energy affordability, and water preservation—with communities in the driver's seat. The program is organized around the priorities that communities told us matter most.

Education access

Expanding access to free community college and hands-on training

We're investing in free community college for local residents, and we'll build 25+ modular training centers where grads earn credentials employers want.
Action

30,000+

30,000+ homes and buildings targeted for energy upgrades over the next five years.
Efficiency upgrades

Lowering energy costs and protecting local water resources

We're investing in energy upgrades for 30,000+ homes and 300+ schools and buildings. We also expect to return 8B+ gallons of water to communities.
Action

300K+

300,000+ students connected to free degree access over the next five years.
Community-directed investments

Funding the priorities communities choose for themselves

We'll provide millions of dollars of funding for local foundations yearly, helping communities direct money to roads, parks, schools, housing, and more.
Action

100K

100,000 learners trained for high-skilled jobs over the next five years.

Answering your questions about data centers

We know communities have questions about how data centers affect the places where they operate. Here’s what the data shows on the topics we hear about most.

Question Answer

Are data centers taking all of our water?

Data centers use little water compared with other industries.

U.S. golf courses use ~200x more than all Amazon data centers; our data centers average <13,000 gallons/day.
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Video

Why does AI use water?

Oct 2, 2025

5 min

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Video

Are Amazon data centers raising electricity bills?

No. We pay the full cost of electricity and infrastructure upgrades our projects require.

Dec 16, 2025

4 min

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Question Answer

Do backup generators emit huge amounts of pollution?

No, backup generators sit idle 99.9% of the time and run ~10 hours/year.

With Tier 4 controls, annual NOx emissions can be as low as one Seattle-London round-trip flight.
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Question Answer

How is Amazon balancing our climate goals with increased demand for AI?

By staying stubborn on the vision and flexible on the details.

The path is rarely straight. But balancing growth with responsibility isn't new for us. We are committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040—and AI doesn't change that.
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Question Answer

What benefits are Amazon data centers bringing to local communities?

Jobs, tax revenue, healthcare, and long-term community investment.

Since 2011, we've invested $156B+ in U.S. data center infrastructure—supporting 37,000+ jobs annually, contributing $51B+ to GDP, and funding education programs.
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“This is not Amazon deciding what communities need. It's Amazon providing resources and letting communities decide. We're building our future, together.”

Matt Garman
CEO of Amazon Web Services

Making our infrastructure more energy and water efficient

Today, our data centers outperform industry averages on both energy and water efficiency, and we keep pushing to do more.

Article

Inside Amazon's approach to data center sustainability

Jun 12, 2026

3 min

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Action

7x

Our data centers are 7x more water efficient than the industry average.
Action

700+

We're one of the world's largest corporate purchasers of carbon-free energy, with 700+ projects.