Amazon vows $1 billion for data center towns, warning U.S. “can’t afford to lose” AI race

October 2, 2026 / 1:42 PM EDT / CBS News

Amazon's cloud computing division on Friday announced a new effort to temper opposition to data centers in some U.S. communities, while saying the U.S. "can't afford to lose" the race to dominate artificial intelligence globally.

The tech giant pledged to invest an additional $1 billion over five years in the communities where it builds data centers, the facilities that power AI, on top of existing commitments. Amazon said the money will go toward education, job training, energy affordability, and water and energy preservation, and also fund other local priorities.

"There is urgency to this data center buildout because we aren't the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security, and the countries that lead in AI will shape it and get the most from it in the short and long run," Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said in a blog post. "The choices we make today will determine that outcome, and a lapse in our nation's focus or resolve could put us behind, and potentially irreparably so."

A recent CBS News poll found that more Americans oppose than favor data centers in their…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/