Amazon Uses Oxygen-Producing Aluminum Cables to Lower Data Center Carbon Emissions
Columbus, Monday, 21 September 2026.
Amazon is installing low-carbon aluminum cables in an Ohio data center. The breakthrough material, produced by Rio Tinto and Prysmian, releases pure oxygen instead of greenhouse gases during smelting.
Strategic Partnership Details
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has finalized a partnership with Prysmian and Rio Tinto to install low-carbon aluminum power cables at a data center facility in Ohio [1][2]. Announced on September 18, 2026, the project marks the first known deployment of inert-anode smelted aluminum within a commercial data center environment [2][3]. This initiative addresses the growing scrutiny regarding power consumption and environmental footprints associated with expanding cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure [1].
Strategic Partnership Details
The cables utilize aluminum produced through ELYSIS technology, a process that eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions during smelting [2]. Instead of releasing carbon dioxide, the inert-anode technology releases pure oxygen as a byproduct [1][4]. This material innovation allows technology firms to reduce Scope 3 emissions across their industrial supply chains [1].
Supply Chain and Manufacturing
Production of the aluminum takes place in Quebec, Canada, leveraging hydropower for energy needs [3]. The cables themselves are manufactured at Prysmian’s facility in Sedalia, Missouri, before being shipped to the Ohio site [2][3]. Distribution partner Wesco is facilitating the infrastructure project alongside the manufacturers [3].
Supply Chain and Manufacturing
This deployment aligns with Amazon Web Services (AWS) integration of the project into its infrastructure decarbonization strategy [1]. Joern Tinnemeyer, Vice President of Data Center Engineering at AWS, linked the initiative to the parent company’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 [2][3]. The collaboration extends a partnership agreement originally signed between Prysmian and Rio Tinto in March 2026 [1][2].
Industry Implications
The move comes as data center emissions face increasing attention from investors and policymakers [1]. A Financial Times analysis suggests that 60 planned data centers by major tech firms could collectively generate 101.5 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually [4]. This output is comparable to approximately 27 coal-fired power plants or 24 million gasoline-powered vehicles [4].
Industry Implications
Prysmian has established corporate sustainability targets to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2035 [3]. Amazon and its partners are actively exploring the expansion of lower-carbon materials usage across broader cable and power infrastructure [3]. Industry professionals note that net zero is only possible through partnerships like this, highlighting the huge impact of doing so in a data center [4].