Free Community College Part of Amazon’s $1B Data Center Plan

Over the next five years, Amazon will invest more than $1 billion in education, energy and water conservation, as well as in infrastructure in communities that host their data centers, the company said last week. 

As part of its “Built Together” framework, residents of Amazon’s data center communities will receive free community college and hands-on workforce training to prepare them for in-demand career fields, such as HVAC, IT, health care, education, public safety and advanced manufacturing. When the initiative launches in a few months, Amazon will cover all out-of-pocket expenses that remain after a student receives financial aid. The company anticipates that the program will help some 300,000 students access degree programs over the next five years. 

In addition, Amazon is expanding the network of physical training facilities at and near its data centers. These facilities provide free skilled trade certification programs and direct pathways to jobs with Amazon and its construction partners. The company projects that by the end of 2028, they will train 100,000 workers a year “for real jobs in their hometowns—fully funded by Amazon,” Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, wrote in the announcement. 

The announcement comes amid growing backlash against the AI-fueled proliferation of data centers over the past few years. According to a recent Gallup poll, 70 percent of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their area, citing strained natural resources, cost-of-living increases, noise pollution and job losses, as well as general negative views about AI. 

But Amazon, which has at least 900 data centers across 50 countries, claimed in the announcement that many of those concerns stem from “misinformation” and “outright lies,” and that the United States can’t afford to fall behind on building more data centers.

“There is urgency to this data center buildout because we aren’t the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security, and the countries that lead in AI will shape it and get the most from it in the short and long run,” Garman said. “The choices we make today will determine that outcome, and a lapse in our nation’s focus or resolve could put us behind, and potentially irreparably so.”