For Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing business, everything is on the table as far as adoption of clean energy sources and use of energy storage solutions to meet its ambitious goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2040. 

“All sources of carbon-free energy need to be considered when looking at decarbonizing for our business, for broader society as well,” said Chris Walker, Director of Sustainability at AWS, on an episode of the Sustainability Leaders podcast. “And we're going to continue to look at all the options above board, whether it's nuclear, renewable, and everything in between,” he said. 

Listen to the ~26-minute episode: 

Data centers are the core infrastructure of AWS’s business, and achieving the goal of net zero by 2040 is mainly about making design, construction, and operation of the data centers more efficient. That includes innovating the materials used to build the data centers and also producing more efficient cooling systems that rely on less water. 

Walker said that these innovations do not sacrifice service to customers at all. Actually, AWS has been able to make progress toward its 2040 goals while improving customer experience.  

“What's exciting about those components and some of the innovations that we're rolling out is we're seeing that while offering up to 12% more compute power to our customers, and so we're continuing to increase the efficiency, but while increasing the compute power for the customers, which is an exciting feat,” he said. 

Procuring renewable energy is a big part of the company’s sustainability strategy. Indeed, Amazon has been the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for five consecutive years, Walker said. Recent investment in nuclear power, specifically small modular reactors throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and in Virginia.  

Nuclear is a welcome source of clean energy because of its consistency compared with the variability of solar and wind. This is an important attribute for AWS, which needs to deliver its service 24-7.  

Walker also noted the company’s objective to be water positive by 2030, restoring more fresh water to sources than it uses. The company is exploring other ways to cool its data centers, including direct cooling using outside air. The idea would be to continue to scale these approaches and help local communities at the same time. 

“The amount of water, we're looking at returning up to 7 billion liters across 23 different projects on a global level. That's not a small scale, and that's exciting to be able to think about how we're partnering with farmers in local areas to give them irrigation water, how we're partnering with different investments and partners at a hyper local area to replenish the water sources and use more sustainable water sources in those areas,” Walker said.