Amazon's Carbon-Cutting AI Breakthrough: A New Era for Data Centers

Amazon is piloting a carbon-removal material designed by AI for data centers to combat rising emissions from AI systems. The novel substance, developed by startup Orbital Materials, shows promise for cost-savings and sustainability. This initiative aligns with Amazon's commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Amazon.com Inc is taking a significant step towards reducing its environmental footprint by piloting a new carbon-removal material specifically for its data centers. The material, designed by the startup Orbital Materials using artificial intelligence, aims to tackle the growing emissions challenge posed by the power-intensive AI systems.

The innovative substance acts like a sponge at an atomic level, with each cavity meticulously sized to interact with CO2, explained Orbital's CEO Jonathan Godwin. He noted that the material could add a mere 10% to the hourly cost of renting a GPU chip, offering a substantial saving over traditional carbon offsets.

This collaboration is part of a three-year partnership with Amazon Web Services, the global leader in cloud computing. The pilot will begin in 2025, and Orbital plans to extend its AI-driven material development to address water usage and chip cooling needs in data centers.