Amazon responds to data center backlash, says it no longer uses NDAs

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman says the company has stopped using nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in its dealings with government agencies as it seeks approval to build new data centers. His comments came as part of a longer blog post aimed at countering the backlash over the impact of data centers on communities. Garman pointed to what he described as four common myths, including claims that data centers consume too much water, raise electricity costs, cause major pollution, and provide no local benefits. He cited Amazon’s reporting that “direct data center water consumption” is 0.5% of U.S. industrial water use, and argued that electricity rate changes depend on grid investment. Still, an independent watchdog attributed a 76% year-over-year electricity price increase to data centers.