Amazon committed more than $1 billion over the next five years to support communities hosting its data centres in a bid to address mounting opposition to AI infrastructure.

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman announced the investment in an essay defending data centre development, arguing the buildout is needed for the US to remain competitive in the global AI race.

“Data centres bring considerable tax revenue, positive economic impact, large numbers of good jobs, education programs and other benefits to the communities where they’re built,” he wrote.

The new programme will fund education, workforce training, local hiring, energy upgrades, water and energy preservation projects and grants for local initiatives. Amazon added local communities will help determine how the funding is used.

The company said it expects to connect more than 300,000 students to free degree programmes in data centre communities over five years. It also plans to expand its network of training centres, alongside grants for energy efficiency upgrades targeting more than 300 schools and community buildings and over 30,000 homes.

Amazon also pledged to stop using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies involved in its data centre projects, explaining it would publish annual information on energy consumption, water use and efficiency.

Losing ticket
Data centre expansion has been facing growing backlash across the world over power demand, water consumption, land disruption, noise and environmental impact. In July, New York became the first US state to introduce a one-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale facilities requiring 50 megawatts of power or more, citing environmental concerns, pressure on the energy grid and costs for residents.

Garman warned data centre moratoriums could leave the country behind in the global AI race. “If these measures are enacted, the US could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he said.

He also pushed back against concerns over water consumption, electricity prices and emissions from backup generators, describing several commonly cited claims as “myths”, “misinformation and outright lies”. He explained direct data centre water consumption accounts for about 0.5% of total US industrial water use and that backup generators remain idle 99.9% of the time.

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Rockwell Automation found a majority of manufacturers in the life sciences sector are employing smart production technologies as part of digital transformations, but most struggle to derive meaningful insights from the data collected.

Research involving 104 executives and managers at life sciences businesses found 58% of companies are already using smart manufacturing technologies to some degree in their operations.

Rockwell Automation indicated the potential for growth is high, with 90% recognising the importance of digital transformation.

But it noted businesses are keen to ensure there are tangible outcomes to technology investments. Most believe AI and machine learning will deliver the greatest benefits, with 46% selecting the option.

The research showed a disconnect between the pace of AI adoption and the readiness of the data available.

Rockwell Automation found 32% believe they are generating meaningful insights from more than half the data collected, indicating significant room for improvement at a time when many companies stated they already use AI or plan to do so within the next 12 months.

Digitalisation moves are also being fuelled by a growing number of cyberattacks. Rockwell Automation found 54% of life sciences companies had been targeted in the past year due, in part, to remote access and connected equipment vulnerabilities.

Matt Weaver, VP of global industry, life sciences, said figures showing companies are willing to invest in smart technologies to improve quality, digitise operations and lower risk show the sector has moved on from the days when regulatory compliance was “something they ramped” for.

“The companies connecting their data, securing systems and validating AI deployments today are the ones that will be ready for what comes next from regulators or from the market.”

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US President Donald Trump (pictured) reportedly continued to dismiss concerns about any threat AI poses to humanity while repeating his claim guardrails would impede its development.

In a wide-ranging interview with Time Magazine published yesterday (1 October), Trump stated he liked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei after a recent dinner. He praised the executive’s intelligence and claimed Amodei’s actual views differed from how they were portrayed in the media.

In mid-June 2026, the Trump administration issued a directive instructing Anthropic to suspend access to its advanced models over national security concerns related to potential jailbreaking vulnerabilities but then reversed course around a month later.

“I liked him and his wife a lot,” Trump told Time Magazine. “Very smart guy. Maybe different than I thought, a little bit. Really a little bit different. But no, he understands.”

Trump hosted a meeting at the White House with some of the top AI executives, including Amodei, on 29 September, which led to participants signing a voluntary framework focused on industry self-regulation and internal oversight.

The president has opposed any sort of guardrails for AI from the government, claiming they would hamper development and lead to China overtaking the US. Trump told Time Magazine his guardrail against AI labs is enforcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Justice.

“Look, I say, if you’re going to seek regulation, they can put you out of business,” he said in the magazine interview. “Now you do have to be responsible for yourself, and there aren’t a lot of people that understand what’s going on”.

“This is a new one that is much different than people have ever seen before. But my attitude is, we’re winning against the world by a lot, and I want to keep winning,” he added.

Time Magazine noted 71% of US citizens oppose building data centres while 57% believe AI will do more harm than good. Trump has repeatedly referred to AI concerns as a hoax.

In the interview he claimed data centres “make a fortune” and would lead to lower taxes.

Trump also indicated he could be interested in the US government owning a stake in in Anthropic or OpenAI, similar to the deal he struck with Intel.

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