This past Friday (Oct. 2) Amazon announced a new community investment program pledging more than $1 billion over five years to cities and counties/parishes where it operates data centers.
The program, dubbed “Built Together”, will direct funds toward free community college access, workforce training, energy efficiency, upgrades for homes and public buildings, and flexible local grants.
The Amazon memo asserted that the data center buildout is comparable in national importance to the construction of the interstate highway systems in 1950s, warning that the more than 100 data center moratoriums under consideration across the country could cost the U.S. its lead in AI.
The education component will cover community college tuition and fees not met by financial aid, with the projection that it will provide more than 300,000 students with free degrees over five years.
Amazon also plans to expand its network of hands-on Modular Training Centers—physical facilities near data center sites offering certification programs in skilled trades—from three currently operating to 25 by end of 2028 with a goal of training up to 100,000 workers annually.
The program will provide grants to cover heat pumps, insulation, solar installations, and other upgrades for more than 30,000 homes and 300 schools and public buildings with projected household energy savings of $700 per year.
Amazon also announced that it has stopped using NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) with government agencies on data center projects to allow local officials open communication with their constituents.
