Amazon recently announced plans to invest $12 billion on new data centre campuses in the U.S state of Louisiana. This move is designed to help increase the company’s AI infrastructure and compute capabilities while keeping pace with rivals Google and Microsoft.
The tech giant stated the campuses located northwestern Louisiana will create 540 full-time jobs and support about 1,700 additional skilled roles, including electricians, HVAC technicians and security specialists.
Amid ongoing concern about rising electricity costs and the depletion of water resources used to cool data centres, Amazon stated it worked with a local utility, Southwestern Electric Power Company, “to ensure we pay 100 per cent of the costs” associated with the campuses.
Those costs include expenses related to upgraded energy infrastructure needed for the new AI data centre campuses. Amazon stated it will invest up to $400 million in local water and sewer infrastructure to responsibly support the campuses.
The company stated it has added up to 200 megawatts of solar energy to Louisiana’s grid, contributing to long‑term affordability and carbon‑free power growth. In addition, Amazon stated it has invested in solar energy projects in Louisiana, bringing up to 200 megawatts of new carbon-free energy onto the grid.
During its Q4 earnings earlier in February, Amazon said it expects capex of $200 billion this year, a marked increase from last year’s $131 billion.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Amazon
