Amazon Pledges More Open, Transparent Data Center Development Policies

It's likely a by-product of the recent pushback to multiple data center projects nationwide.

  Amazon Rolls Out New Data Center Development Policies

As opposition continues to grow in many areas around the country toward data center development, Amazon has released a new list of 'tenents' or policies.

They include the discarding of nondisclosure agreements, earlier and faster engagement with area communities, and renewed water and other natural resource efforts.

   Amazon Operates 47 in Oregon Already

Amazon has some data center plans for northeast Oregon, and the Wallula Gap project in WA state.  Overall, its estimated the retail giant has, corporate-wide, 236 data center projects in various phases of development.

According to their website:

"We understand why there is apprehension in some communities where data centers are being built. While there is much we (and other data center operators) are already doing, we’ve decided to codify our practices into a series of tenets that we’re calling our “Amazon Data Center Commitment”

That paragraph is followed by their four major tenants, or areas, they have made new commitments in.

   It's Ironic About the Data Center Pushback

While some communities have legitimate concerns about the effects of data centers, and there should be efforts made to avoid long-term negative envronmental and other effects, the sudden opposition is interesting and ironic.

As we push ahead rapidly into even more of a data or information-centered society, it would be interesting to ask many of the data center protestors how much time, money and effort they spend online, whether it's social media or commerce.  Data centers are needed to handle the massive amounts of information this digital age has generated.

And, they're not just AI-related. They've been around for a number of years.