Amazon announced a new commitment outlining how it will build and operate data centers in the United States, alongside the launch of the “Built Together” program, which will add more than $1 billion over the next five years to its existing investments in communities hosting these facilities. The announcement comes as data center infrastructure expansion accelerates due to demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence, while local concerns about water, electricity, emissions, and transparency are also intensifying.
Measurable Operational Commitments
Amazon says that the average water consumption of its data center is less than 13,000 gallons per day, compared with an average of approximately 170,000 gallons for a typical data center, according to the figures cited in the material. The company is committing to becoming water positive across its data centers by 2030, meaning it will return more water to communities than it consumes, noting that it had achieved 75% of the way toward this goal in 2025.
The company states that the global power usage effectiveness rating for its data centers reached 1.14 in 2025, compared with an industry average of 1.25 and 1.63 for on-premises enterprise data centers. It also intends to use non-potable, recycled, or low-salinity water wherever possible; invest in upgrading power and water networks; and install backup generators at new sites that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 standard or its equivalent.
Amazon also pledges to publish annual data on energy consumption and efficiency, water consumption and efficiency, and the proportion of carbon-free energy. It says it will no longer use nondisclosure agreements with government entities with which it cooperates on data center projects, and will hold open meetings and share information about its plans at an early stage.
Investment Focused on Education and Energy
“Built Together” is based on three tracks. The first is education and training, as Amazon plans to connect more than 300,000 students with access to free certifications or college degrees in in-demand fields, such as electrical work, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fiber optics, information technology, health care, and advanced manufacturing.
The company will also expand its modular training centers. Amazon currently operates three centers, with six more under development, and plans to create 16 additional centers. By the end of 2028, these centers aim to prepare up to 100,000 workers annually for local jobs, with training programs lasting from four to 16 weeks.
The second track focuses on energy affordability and water solutions. The grants aim to upgrade more than 300 schools and community buildings and 30,000 homes over five years by installing heat pumps, air-conditioning systems, insulation, water heaters, batteries, and solar installations. Amazon estimates that these improvements will reduce energy bills by between 20% and 40%, or by approximately $700 annually per household on average.
The third track gives communities flexible funding to determine their priorities, such as roads, parks, firefighting equipment, affordable housing, food security, school improvements, and disaster preparedness. Amazon says it has also contracted for more than 65 water projects worldwide, which are expected to return more than 8 billion gallons annually to local communities.
What Matters in Practice?
The fundamental change is not the launch of a new cloud service, but rather an attempt to turn practices and contributions that Amazon had been providing into public commitments and a long-term funding program. This could give governments and communities clearer points of accountability when evaluating data center projects, particularly in the areas of energy, water, and employment.
However, the figures come from Amazon itself, and some promises depend on future partnerships and local implementation that has not yet been completed. Lower water consumption or higher tax revenues alone also do not resolve questions about grid planning, the distribution of benefits and costs among residents, or the impact of growing energy demand. Therefore, the practical value of the commitment will depend on the publication of annual data, the clarity of project conditions, and communities’ ability to verify the reported results.