AWS eyes ‘flexible’ data center expansion with $11bn Georgia investment

AWS has announced its latest round of infrastructure investment focused in the US, pledging $11 billion for data centers in the state of Georgia.

The news follows a similar announcement of $10bn in funding for data centers in Ohio at the end of last year, and comes days after Microsoft said it will spend half of an $80bn tranche of data center funding for 2025 in the US alone.

"AWS's ongoing infrastructure investments across the United States demonstrate our relentless commitment to powering our customers' digital innovation through cloud and AI technologies," said Roger Wehner, vice president of economic development at AWS.

The growth in data centers has been spurred by the rise in generative AI, but AWS said this infrastructure will be designed to be flexible, working both for traditional loads as well as meeting the demands of massive AI models.

"AWS data centers are flexible enough to efficiently run GPUs (graphics processing units) for traditional workloads or AI and machine learning models," the company said in a blog post.

This isn't the first time AWS has invested in Georgian data centers. Indeed, the company noted it has invested $18.5 billion since 2010.

"State and local leaders have cultivated an environment that enables companies like AWS to make bold, forward-looking investments," said Wehner.

"We are excited to deepen our partnership with the state of Georgia and contribute to the continued advancement of its thriving technology landscape."

AWS predicted the initiative would create at least 550 new high-skilled jobs in the region, alongside thousands of non-technical roles such as construction.

The investment is expected to focus on the Butts and Douglas counties. Russ Crumbley, chairman of the Butts County Board of Commissioners, said the investment would be the "most significant in Butts County history."

Sustainable power

AWS didn't detail how the new infrastructure would be powered — a growing problem for AI data centers that has sparked concerns about a lack of energy driving tech companies to nuclear options.

Amazon's own plans to build a data center next to a nuclear plant has seen significant pushback. However, the hyperscaler did note that it had previously made "significant investments" in renewable energy in the state, including eight solar farms.

"Once fully operational, these projects will generate enough carbon-free energy to power an estimated 123,000 US homes each year," the blog post noted.

The boom in AI has driven demand for more data centers, with reports suggesting Europe and the UK risk falling behind without such investment.