Amazon to invest $10B in North Carolina toward AI data centers
Amazon will invest approximately $10 billion toward new artificial intelligence data center infrastructure in North Carolina, company and state officials announced Wednesday.
The expanded AI data centers will be located in Richmond County and support Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud-computing unit.
The project is expected to create 'at least 500 new high-skilled jobs,' including data center engineers and network specialists, the company said.
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3 Amazon is one of several Big Tech firms competing in the AI race.
Oleksandr – stock.adobe.com
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, touted Amazon's commitment as 'among the largest in state history' and said it would provide 'an economic boost to Richmond County.'
The rural county is located about 70 miles east of Charlotte.
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'Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work and innovate, and I am pleased that North Carolina will stay at the forefront of all that's ahead as we continue to attract top technology companies like Amazon,' Stein said in a statement.
Amazon's chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said the 'investment will position North Carolina as a hub for cutting-edge technology, create hundreds of high-skilled jobs, and drive significant economic growth.'
'We look forward to partnering with state and local leaders, local suppliers, and educational institutions to nurture the next generation of talent,' Zapolsky added.
As part of the investment, Amazon will also roll out new training programs focused on areas such as data center operations and fiber optics. The company has a growing footprint in North Carolina and has invested $12 billion in the state since 2010.
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3 Amazon plans to spend $100 billion on capital expenditures this year.
Christopher Sadowski
Amazon shares were flat in Wednesday trading.
Amazon and other Big Tech firms are pouring billions into AI infrastructure as they race to develop the advanced technology.
Led by CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon has signaled it will spend $100 million in capital expenditures this year.
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3 North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein is pictured.
AP
President Trump is also backing the nationwide effort and has pushed companies to boost their commitments within the US.
In January, Trump announced the $500 billion 'Project Stargate' – a collaboration between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to build out AI data centers.
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