In response to the local resistance to today’s massive data center buildout, Amazon has a new answer: the tech giant is committing more than $1 billion over five years to U.S. communities that host its data facilities.

The new program, called Built Together, will fund education, job training, home and school energy improvements and locally selected projects. Amazon expects to put more than $100 million into community college endowments and roughly another $100 million toward expanding its training centers.

Those amounts are dwarfed by Amazon’s budget for building AI infrastructure. The company expects about $220 billion in capital expenditures this year, much of it spent on data centers and chips. But building this infrastructure requires the support of communities that are concerned about data centers’ land, water and electricity use.

That support is getting harder to secure. Data Center Watch reported that at least 75 projects valued at approximately $130 billion were blocked or delayed during the first three months of the year.

Public opinion polls reveal the degree of resistance. An Economist/YouGov poll conducted in late August found that 63% of Americans would oppose construction of a data center in their community.

Community College, Free Skilled-Trade Programs

Amazon’s program attempts to make the economic benefits of data center projects more visible at the local level. The company plans to cover out-of-pocket community college costs for an estimated 300,000 students in data center communities over five years, with agreements involving 26 colleges in development.

It also plans to add 16 training centers near or on data center sites, offering free skilled-trade certification programs. Amazon currently operates three such facilities, with another six being developed. Energy-efficiency improvements are planned for more than 30,000 homes and over 300 schools and community buildings.

Local nonprofits and community foundations will receive annual funding for needs like roads, parks and fire equipment, with communities setting their own priorities.

Concern over high utility bills for ratepayers is major driver of resistance. Amazon says it will cover the electricity and grid infrastructure costs created by its data centers so those expenses are not shifted to residential customers. The company also plans to publish annual figures on its energy and water use and the percentage of power it obtains from carbon-free sources.

Still, electricity costs remain a challenge for data center developers. Residential power prices in August 2025 rose 13% year over year in Virginia, 16% in Illinois and 12% in Ohio, compared with 6% nationally, according to U.S. government data. All three states have significant data center development.

Amazon’s absolute carbon emissions rose 16% in 2025, a year in which the company also expanded its data center capacity. The company says it remains committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. It also says it intends to return more water to communities than its data centers consume by 2030.

Additionally, Amazon is making policy changes. The company says it will no longer seek nondisclosure agreements with government agencies for new data center projects and will use lower-emission backup generators at new facilities.