Amazon Defends Data Centers Against Backlash

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman defended his company's data centers against criticism from environmental activists and others, stating that they no longer use nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) with government agencies.

Garman argued that the widespread backlash against data centers is based on misinformation about their impact on water consumption, electricity costs, pollution, and community benefits. He claimed that direct data center water consumption accounts for only 0.5% of all industrial water usage in the United States, while pointing to an Amazon report on its own water usage.

Garman also disputed claims that data centers increase energy rates, stating that they have only gone up in some states with large numbers of data centers, while declining or growing more slowly in others. He noted that data center generators are idle 99.9% of the time and produce a maximum amount of pollution allowed under permits.

Amazon has contributed over $1 billion to communities across the U.S. where it has a meaningful data center presence, according to Garman.