Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian and mining company Rio Tinto will supply an Amazon data center in Ohio with low-carbon aluminum electrical cables. The aluminum will be produced by Elysis, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa. Its smelting process uses proprietary inert anodes instead of traditional carbon anodes, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and producing oxygen as a byproduct.
Prysmian will use the aluminum to manufacture electrical cables at its Sedalia, Missouri, facility for deployment at an Amazon data center in Ohio. The project will mark the first use of Elysis’ low-carbon aluminum in a data center, although the specific facility has not been disclosed. Wesco will handle the distribution and delivery of the cables to the project site. Amazon operates multiple data centers in Ohio and plans to invest $23 billion in the state by 2030.
“We aim to reach net-zero emissions across our operations by 2040 through decarbonizing our operations and supply chain, down to the raw materials. Traditionally, making aluminum is carbon-intensive, but this wire was made with technology that emits oxygen instead of carbon dioxide and perfluorocarbons,” said Joern Tinnemeyer, VP of data center engineering at Amazon Web Services (AWS). “Prysmian, Rio Tinto, and Wesco are showing that lower-carbon materials aren't a future concept – they're here and going into Amazon data centers today.”
“The data center industry needs advanced technologies like this: cables that can effectively carry power, meet high-quality standards, and make a positive impact on the sustainability of the entire value chain,” added Srinivas Siripurapu, chief sustainability, R&D, and innovation officer for Prysmian.
