Prysmian and Rio Tinto Score Low-Carbon Data Center Deal with Amazon
Italian cable maker Prysmian has partnered with Rio Tinto to supply low-carbon aluminum cables for an Amazon data center in Ohio. The cables will use ELYSIS inert-anode technology, which eliminates direct greenhouse-gas emissions from the aluminum-smelting process and releases pure oxygen instead.
The project gives Prysmian's work with ELYSIS something it didn't have earlier this year: a specific data-center application. Prysmian says this will be the first known use of aluminum produced through inert-anode smelting in a data center, and the cables will be manufactured at its Sedalia, Missouri facility.
Amazon's involvement is significant because it aligns with the company's goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040. Prysmian also has set targets for its own business, including Net Zero by 2035 and wanting sustainability-linked solutions to account for 55% of revenue by 2028.
However, there are limits to what investors can read into one project. The financial value of the Amazon project isn't clear, ELYSIS-produced aluminum is not yet available in large production quantities, and neither company has indicated that Amazon will use the cables more widely.