Amazon publicly urges communities to stop blocking data centers

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman published a blog post of more than 3,000 words on October 2, urging the public to support AI data center projects or risk what he called irreparable harm to the US economy and national security.

His central number: more than 100 data center moratoriums are currently being considered across the country. If enacted, they would directly slow the rollout of AI compute capacity. The appeal follows polls showing plummeting public support for data centers and growing backlash in the communities where they are built.

The post also lays out a "Data Center Commitment": investing more than $1 billion in communities neighboring its data centers, and pledging to prevent increases in local energy rates. Separately, per Wall Street Journal reporting, Amazon says it no longer uses nondisclosure agreements with government agencies; chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said "the industry comes from a history of secrecy and so some of that's just reflex."

Note that the moratorium count and all commitments come from Amazon's own blog; the $1 billion investment has no disclosed schedule or implementation details.