Amazon is continuing to make its mark as a pioneer in artificial intelligence innovation with a AU$20 billion commitment ($13 billion) to build data centers in Australia — and sustainability is at the heart of the initiative, according to Sustainability Magazine.
The expansion will support AI development and cloud services and result in the construction of three new solar farms in Victoria and Queensland to be delivered and operated by European Energy. Amazon intends to purchase more than 170 megawatts of energy from the sites.
"We're proud to be expanding our world-class data center infrastructure, bringing more renewable energy projects online and supporting the country's vision to be a global AI leader," said Matt Garman, chief executive of Amazon Web Services, which can help AI-heavy companies slash harmful carbon pollution by as much as 94% compared to on-site servers.
Amazon has received criticism for some of its clean-energy practices, with University of Almeria environmental law professor Abel La Calle arguing that its approach to solar in Spain, for instance, may obscure the true environmental impact of its operations.
A joint investigation from the nonprofit SourceMaterial and the Guardian also sounded the alarm over Amazon's intentions (along with other major corporations) to develop data centers in some of the world's driest regions, raising questions whether there will be enough resources in the coming years to support life-sustaining sectors like agriculture, as many data centers rely on water-intensive cooling systems.
However, there's no denying Amazon is taking positive steps to mitigate its negative impact on the planet, slashing its use of plastic packaging and introducing zero-tailpipe-pollution electric vehicles to its delivery fleets.
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The company's increased adoption of renewable energy is also a clear step up from dirty fuels, which generate pollution associated with millions of annual premature deaths and are generally more susceptible to volatile rate fluctuations.
According to Sustainability Magazine, Amazon was the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy worldwide last year. Once the new solar farms in Australia are complete, they will be pulling power from 11 total projects, generating enough energy to power nearly 300,000 homes.
Australia is also expected to benefit from Amazon's investment in AWS infrastructure, supporting the country's goal of realizing AU$600 billion ($395 billion) in AI and automation by the end of the decade, per the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
"This is the largest investment our country has seen from a global technology provider and is an exciting opportunity for Australia to build AI capability using secure, resilient infrastructure," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, per Sustainability Magazine.
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