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Amazon plans to put more than $1 billion over the next five years into U.S. communities hosting its data centers, funding programs ranging from community college tuition and skilled-job training to home energy upgrades.
The program, called Built Together, comes as investment in AI and cloud computing drives rapid data center construction across the country. Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said the additional funding would support education, workforce development, energy affordability, water and energy conservation, and priorities chosen locally.
Local nonprofits, community foundations and residents will have input on funding decisions. Potential priorities include roads, parks, affordable housing, fire department equipment, food security and school improvements.
Amazon estimates that more than 300,000 students could access certificate or associate degree programs over the next five years through its education initiative. For residents near its data center operations, the company plans to support free community college and workforce training by covering remaining out-of-pocket costs after financial aid.
Expected eligible fields include electrical work, HVAC, fiber optics, IT, healthcare, education, public safety and advanced manufacturing.
The company also plans to expand its Modular Training Center network. It operates three centers, has six more under development and intends to build 16 more.
Each facility is designed to train approximately 2,000 to 4,000 people annually, with certification programs lasting four to 16 weeks. Amazon said the expanded network could prepare as many as 100,000 workers annually for skilled jobs by the end of 2028.
Built Together will support energy-efficiency improvements in counties where Amazon operates data centers. Over the next five years, the company plans to fund upgrades at more than 300 schools and community buildings and more than 30,000 homes.
Potential improvements include HVAC systems, heat pumps, insulation, water heaters, batteries and solar installations. Amazon estimates that participating households could save approximately $700 annually on energy costs.
The company also said it has contracted for more than 65 water projects near its operations globally. Those projects are expected to return more than 8 billion gallons of water annually to local communities.
Alongside the funding program, Amazon introduced an Amazon Data Center Commitment describing how it plans to develop and operate its facilities.
The commitments include working with utilities to ensure that data center electricity rates cover required energy and infrastructure improvements. Amazon also plans to eliminate nondisclosure agreements with government agencies involved in projects and hold community open houses.
The company intends to publish annual figures on data center energy use, energy efficiency, water use, water efficiency and the percentage of power supplied by carbon-free resources. New sites will use backup generators that meet the EPA’s Tier 4 emissions standard, or equivalent standards outside the U.S.
Amazon reported a 2025 global Power Usage Effectiveness ratio of 1.14 for its data centers. It also said it was 75% of the way toward its goal of becoming water positive across its data center operations by 2030.
According to Amazon, its average data center uses less than 13,000 gallons of water per day, compared with approximately 170,000 gallons for what the company described as a typical data center.
The new funding is separate from more than $1 billion that Amazon said it has contributed over the past three years to U.S. communities where it maintains a meaningful data center presence.
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