AWS CEO Matt Garman warns over 100 data center moratoriums

Amazon's blog arrives as public support for AI data centers has plummeted in polls and backlash grows in the US communities where they are being built, with nationwide concerns about AI safety and the technology's impact on society. Garman framed the moment as geopolitically urgent, saying there are widespread reports of various countries intentionally seeding misinformation in the US about data centers to trick the country into slowing down.

Amazon paired the warning with a "Data Center Commitment" that codifies practices around creating jobs, preventing increases to local energy rates, and pledging to invest more than $1 billion in neighboring communities. The company also says it no longer uses nondisclosure agreements with government agencies, after Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin probed tech companies about the secret deals with local officials. Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky told the Wall Street Journal that the industry comes from a history of secrecy and that requiring secrecy "just didn't make sense" anymore.

Whether the push lands may depend on how local officials weigh Amazon's economic and security arguments against community concerns about jobs, power demands, and the environment. The stakes are highest for the communities now considering moratoriums, and for Amazon itself, whose build-out depends on those approvals.