Amazon’s data centres reportedly use copper sourced from a mine in Arizona that uses microorganisms to leach the metal from ores.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon Web Services (AWS) will be the first customer for Rio Tinto’s Nuton Technologies, which recently reopened the U.S.’ first new copper mine (known as The Johnson Camp mine) in more than a decade. The method behind this new copper was developed by Nuton and is known as “bioleaching.”
Nuton’s bioleaching method uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from low-grade ore that would otherwise be way too costly to mine. This method also uses less water and produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional mining methods.
This would also allow Nuton to mine more copper from previously closed mining sites, which could return copper much faster than if it were to open a brand-new mining site.
Interestingly, AWS will also be providing “cloud-based data and analytics support” to Nuton Technologies, which The Verge notes will help optimize Nuton’s mining process.
Surprise, surprise: most of the demand comes from the recent AI boom, in which copper is vital for chip fabrication, wiring, and data centers.
Source: Wall Street Journal, The Verge
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