Amazon has urged communities to support AI data centre projects, warning that resistance could cause irreparable harm to the US economy and national security. In a blog post exceeding 3,000 words, Amazon Web Services chief executive Matt Garman addressed public concerns over the effect these facilities may have on jobs, power demands and the environment, stating that the United States “can’t afford to lose” the race for AI dominance.
Garman argued that significant change inevitably raises important questions, but also generates misinformation. “In the age of social media and 24/7 news, myths take hold faster than ever before,” he said. He went further, claiming the build out is so geopolitically important that there are widespread reports of various countries intentionally seeding misinformation in the US about data centres to encourage the country to slow down.
Growing Backlash Against AI Data Centres
The appeal arrives as support for AI data centres has fallen sharply in polls, with increasing opposition from the US communities where they are being constructed. Concerns have grown nationwide over AI safety and the potential impact of the technology on society if left unchecked. According to Garman, more than 100 data centre moratoriums are currently under consideration across the country. “If these measures are enacted, the US could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he said.
Amazon’s Data Centre Commitment
The memorandum sets out a series of practices Amazon is formalising under a Data Center Commitment, covering areas such as job creation and preventing rises in local energy rates. The company has also pledged to invest more than £750 million to support communities neighbouring its data centres.
In addition, Amazon says it no longer uses nondisclosure agreements with government agencies. The change follows scrutiny from Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin, who questioned technology companies about secret deals struck with local officials. Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said the industry “comes from a history of secrecy and so some of that’s just reflex.” He noted that community leaders need to share information with their constituents, adding that requiring secrecy “just didn’t make sense” any longer.
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