San Francisco (United States) (AFP) - Amazon pledged on Friday to give more than $1 billion over five years to the US communities that host its data centers, in the latest attempt by a technology giant to win the sympathy of those opposed to construction powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 21:56

The “Built Together” program, introduced by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Director Matt Garman in a blog post, will fund free local college and vocational training, as well as energy efficiency upgrades for schools and homes.

The company also announced a "Data Center Pledge," promising that its facilities will not increase local electricity bills and that it will publish annual figures for its energy and water consumption.

Garman further stated that the company would stop using non-disclosure agreements with government agencies in its projects, a practice that has become a major sticking point for data center opponents.

Microsoft also adopted similar principles in March, being the first tech giant to undertake such an initiative.

Also in March, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI pledged at the White House to supply their own electricity for new data centers and to bear the costs of any necessary power grid modernizations.

In his article, Garman attacked what he called "myths" about data centers, in particular rising energy costs, depletion of water resources or air pollution.

He also echoed theories according to which some countries would spread false information to destroy the reputation of data centers in the United States, an idea that has been taken up by the Trump administration, but questioned by researchers and experts.

© 2026 AFP

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