signalTechCrunch AI2026-10-04
Amazon responds to data center backlash, says it no longer uses NDAs
Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman stated that Amazon no longer uses nondisclosure agreements with government agencies for data center projects. He also pushed back against claims about water and energy use, citing that direct data center water consumption is only 0.5% of US industrial usage, and argued that generators are idle 99.9% of the time. The move comes amid backlash, with over 100 data center moratoriums being considered across the US.
- for who
- Data center providers and local government agencies.
- why now
- Amazon dropping NDAs amid 100+ pending US moratoriums signals immediate policy shift.
- what changes
- Communities may gain earlier knowledge of data center projects, as Amazon's policy shift removes NDAs that previously kept plans secret.
- to do
- Adopt transparency practices like Amazon's elimination of NDAs in government dealings.
key points
- AWS CEO Matt Garman: no more NDAs with government agencies for data centers
- Amazon says data centers use 0.5% of US industrial water, generators idle 99.9%
- Over 100 moratoriums on data centers considered across the US
#data center#energy consumption#Amazon#NVIDIA#policy regulation
score
score 7 out of 10. 0-10: how dense the facts are, multiplied by how much you can do with them after reading. 8+ means the topic's evidence bar is met: benchmarks and availability for a new model, amount and investors for a funding round, revenue figures for a solo-money story. Below 5 an item does not enter the digest. A press release scores 3 or less, a reprint loses 2, anything older than 14 days loses 1, a headline that misleads loses 3.
read the source