Amazon plans to develop AI-designed material to reduce carbon emissions from data centers

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🗞️ Driving the news: Amazon is developing an AI-designed carbon-filtering material with Orbital Materials to reduce emissions at AWS data centers
• The material acts as an atomic-level "sponge," selectively trapping CO₂ while leaving other gases untouched
• This pilot project, set to launch in 2025, aligns with Amazon's net-zero carbon goals for 2040

🔭 The context: AWS is the world’s largest cloud computing provider, with data centers consuming significant energy and water resources
• Orbital’s AI-designed material was developed through simulations that optimize its structure for efficient CO₂ capture
• The startup, backed by Radical Ventures and Nvidia, also works on solutions for water conservation and chip cooling

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: As AI-powered data centers expand, their environmental footprint grows
• Using AI to design sustainable materials offers a dual benefit: mitigating the emissions of data centers while demonstrating how technology can reduce its own environmental impact
• This initiative reflects the tech sector's growing role in addressing climate challenges

⏭️ What's next: Amazon will evaluate the material’s performance at a single AWS facility before scaling its use across other data centers
• If successful, it could inspire widespread adoption of AI-designed materials in tech infrastructure, further promoting sustainable practices

💬 One quote: "The material acts like a sponge at the atomic level, specifically trapping CO₂ while leaving other gases untouched," - Orbital CEO Godwin

📈 One stat: The carbon-filtering material will add only 10% to the hourly cost of renting a GPU chip, far cheaper than traditional carbon offsets

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