Amazon ends secrecy deals with local officials and pledges $1 billion to data center communities
Amazon published a list of promises for the places where it builds data centers, the giant computer buildings that run AI and online services.
Data centers are huge buildings full of computers. They run AI tools, online stores and apps. Many towns have pushed back on them. People worry about power bills, water and noise.
On October 2, Amazon published what it calls its "Amazon Data Center Commitment". One line stands out. Amazon wrote: "We no longer use nondisclosure agreements with the government agencies we work with on our projects." A nondisclosure agreement is a contract that keeps details secret. Deals like that can stop officials from sharing what they know about a project.
Amazon also says it does not want its data centers to raise electricity bills for people nearby. It says it works with local power companies and regulators so that the prices it pays cover the energy and any grid upgrades its buildings need.
The company also announced a new program called "Built Together". Amazon says it will add more than $1 billion over the next five years for communities near its data centers. Local people are meant to help decide where the money goes. Examples include schools, job training, energy costs and water.
Part of the plan is free community college for residents. Amazon says the courses will train people for jobs such as electricians and heating and cooling technicians. It expects to connect over 300,000 students to free degrees in the next five years.
Amazon also says it will publish its energy and water use every year, so the public can check.
Open it and check the claim yourself. That is the point.