US AWS CEO refutes criticism of data center construction, asserts legitimacy on official blog

Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon's AWS division, published a lengthy official blog post on October 2nd (local time), rebutting criticism in the United States regarding the construction of data centers. The company also announced the ``Amazon Data Center Commitment,'' a code of conduct for data center operations, and ``Built Together,'' a new investment program targeting regions where data centers are located.

In the United States, there is growing opposition to data center construction. In a survey released by Gallup in May, 71% of respondents opposed the construction of AI data centers in their areas.

Garman likened the current development of digital infrastructure to the construction of the interstate highway system, which began in 1956, and emphasized that private companies, not taxpayers, are paying for it. He said the scale of the move was urgent because countries that lead in AI would benefit the most in terms of economy and security, and warned that the U.S. would lose out to the competition if passed, with the measure being considered to suspend the construction of more than 100 data centers across the United States. He also pointed out that there are widespread reports that some countries are intentionally spreading misinformation in the United States to slow down development.

He argues that much of the criticism of data centers is myth, and refutes issues such as water resources and electricity rates. When it comes to water, for example, golf courses in the US alone use about 200 times more water than all of Amazon's data centers, and the average Amazon data center uses less than 13,000 gallons a day, the equivalent of 42 US homes.

On the other hand, it acknowledged that there were areas for improvement in the industry, and the efforts to date were clearly stated as a code of conduct. In order to avoid raising electricity bills for local residents, the plan includes paying electricity rates that cover infrastructure development costs, no longer signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with government agencies that cooperate with projects, and making public the amount of energy and water used every year.

The investment program ``Built Together'' will add to existing efforts and will invest more than $1 billion over the next five years. The plan is to start with the United States, and decide how to use the funds locally. In addition to allowing residents in areas where data centers are located to earn certifications such as electricians and IT at community colleges at no out-of-pocket cost, it will also provide millions of dollars a year to each region to support energy-efficient retrofits in schools and homes, and to support local priorities.