Amazon AWS to Spend Over $1 Billion in US Data Center Communities

Data centers use lots of power and drive up utility costs. In recent years, many communities across the US have opposed building them nearby. As the November 3 midterm elections get closer, this pushback has created political challenges for Republicans.

According to Reuters, Amazon's cloud unit AWS says it will invest over $1 billion in data center communities across the US over the next five years. It promised to help local residents with the water and power impacts of data centers. The money will go to education, job training, water and energy conservation.

More than 100 data center projects in the US are now considering pausing construction. Amazon also promised that by 2030, all its data centers will be "water positive" - returning more water to communities than they use. The company says this goal is already 75% complete.