Overview
- AWS on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026 unveiled the 'Built Together' plan to spend more than $1 billion over five years on education, job training, energy efficiency and water projects in U.S. host communities.
- The company said it will stop requiring nondisclosure agreements with local and state government partners and will publish annual energy and water figures to increase public disclosure.
- AWS committed to be 'water positive' by 2030, saying it aims to return more water to communities than its data centers use and reporting it is about 75% of the way toward that goal.
- Company leaders warned that more than 100 proposed local moratoriums on data‑center construction could harm U.S. competitiveness in AI, a claim researchers say overstates foreign misinformation and that critics note the $1 billion is small next to AWS’s multibillion capital spending.
- Congressional probes and persistent local opposition remain active, with lawmakers pressing tech firms for records and communities citing concerns about electricity, water use and hidden deal terms that the new transparency pledge seeks to address.