Amazon is doubling down on its AI infrastructure push, announcing a $1 billion community investment plan called Built Together. The funds will support education, job training, and energy upgrades in areas hosting its data centers over the next five years. AWS CEO Matt Garman compared data centers to the interstate highway system and warned that over 100 U.S. cities are considering moratoriums on such facilities. Amazon is spending roughly $220 billion in capital expenditures this year, mostly on data centers, and has also signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy for 690 megawatts from Maryland's Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant, backed by more than $3 billion in infrastructure investment.
Not everyone is thrilled about the data center expansion. A recent CBS News poll found that over 70% of Americans oppose data centers in their local communities. Concerns about water use, power consumption, and environmental impact have fueled local opposition. Amazon is responding by pledging to publish its energy and water usage annually and to stop using NDAs with government agencies. Garman stressed that the U.S. risks losing its lead in the global AI race if it slows down data center construction.
On the education front, Amazon partnered with the Philippines' TESDA to offer free cloud computing and AI courses through the TESDA Online Program. The curriculum includes machine learning, AWS cloud services, and responsible AI usage. Learners who complete certification-track courses may qualify for AWS Academy pathways and certification vouchers. Meanwhile, Snow College in Utah received a $3 million federal grant to lead a rural AI education initiative, bringing enterprise-level AI access to students and educators across its campuses.
Apple notably skipped a White House AI industry lunch that drew leaders from NVIDIA, Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Amazon. While Apple spent about $6.8 billion on R&D over nine months, its absence from the attendee list of 31 people raised eyebrows. Investor Brad Gerstner called the snub a nothing burger, and Apple's stock still rose 22.5% in 2026 despite spending far less on AI than its peers.
Anthropic tightened enforcement of geographic restrictions on its Claude AI model in Hong Kong, suspending accounts that accessed the service through VPNs. Some users are now routing through Singapore and using foreign payment details to get around the blocks. In broader AI policy news, African leaders called for a greater role in setting global AI standards at a United Nations Security Council meeting, noting that fewer than half of African countries have AI policies or strategies. Only Kenya is participating in an AI safety network.
In hardware, Volantis raised $88 million to develop photonic links between AI chips and memory using gallium arsenide lasers, targeting models above 20 trillion parameters. A European pilot line in Eindhoven is set to open in 2027, the same year Volantis plans to ship. Separately, Intezer reported that revenue tripled in the first half of 2026 as enterprises expanded use of its AI security operations platform, which triages alerts and escalates fewer than 2% for human review. The company launched four new products and a partner program to grow sales through managed security service providers.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon pledged $1 billion over five years for community investments near data centers, including education, job training, and energy upgrades
- Amazon is spending roughly $220 billion in capital expenditures this year, mostly on data centers and AI infrastructure
- Amazon signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy for 690 megawatts from Maryland's Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant
- Over 70% of Americans oppose data centers in their local communities, according to a CBS News poll
- TESDA and Amazon launched free cloud and AI courses through the TESDA Online Program in the Philippines
- Snow College received a $3 million federal grant to lead a five-year rural AI education initiative in Utah
- Apple skipped a White House AI lunch with leaders from NVIDIA, Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Amazon
- Anthropic suspended Claude accounts in Hong Kong that accessed the service via VPNs
- African leaders called for equal roles in setting global AI standards at a UN Security Council meeting
- Volantis raised $88 million for photonic memory technology targeting AI models above 20 trillion parameters
Amazon pledges $1B for data center communities amid AI backlash
Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman announced a $1 billion plan called Built Together to support communities hosting data centers. The money will fund community college, job training, energy upgrades, and other local projects over five years. Amazon also plans to stop using NDAs with government agencies and publish its energy and water use each year. Garman warned that over 100 data center moratoriums are being considered across the U.S. and that local opposition could hurt the nation's position in the AI race.
Amazon vows $1 billion for data center towns, warns U.S. can't lose AI race
Amazon pledged an additional $1 billion over five years for communities where it builds data centers. The funds will support education, job training, energy affordability, and water and energy preservation. AWS CEO Matt Garman said the data center buildout is urgent because other countries are also racing to lead in AI. A recent CBS News poll found that over 70% of Americans oppose data centers in their cities.
Amazon pledges $1 billion to address backlash over AI data center boom
Amazon committed more than $1 billion over five years for communities near its server farms. CEO Matt Garman defended data center construction in a long essay, comparing it to the interstate highway system. He said data centers are urgently needed to keep the U.S. competitive in the global AI race. Amazon is spending about $220 billion in capital expenditures this year, mostly on data centers. Local opponents have raised concerns about land use, water, power, and environmental impact.
TESDA and Amazon launch free cloud computing and AI courses in Philippines
TESDA partnered with Amazon Web Services to offer free digital training courses through the TESDA Online Program. The courses include machine learning, AWS cloud services, and responsible AI usage. TESDA Director General Jose Francisco Benitez said the program aims to ensure no Filipino is left behind as work changes. AWS Philippines Country Manager Precious Lim said removing cost and access barriers gives people tools to build a better future.
TESDA adds free AWS cloud and AI courses to online program
TESDA secretary Kiko Benitez and AWS Philippines country manager Precious Lim signed a Strategic Training Agreement in Taguig City. The free courses, available through the TESDA Online Program, include Fundamentals of AI, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, and AWS Certified AI Practitioner. Learners who complete certification-track courses may qualify for AWS Academy pathways and AWS certification vouchers. TESDA plans to expand the program with courses on cloud architecture, security, databases, and regional training events.
Volantis secures $88M for photonic memory to speed AI
Volantis raised $88M to develop a photonic link between AI chips and memory using gallium arsenide lasers. The technology targets models above 20 trillion parameters at up to 10,000 tokens per second per user. Europe is building a EUR 153M indium phosphide pilot line in Eindhoven that opens in 2027, the same year Volantis plans to ship. A Swiss startup called Kandou raised $225M to argue that copper signaling can outlast optical transitions.
Hong Kong Claude users lose access after VPN crackdown
Anthropic tightened enforcement of geographical restrictions on its Claude AI model in Hong Kong. Users who accessed the service through VPNs found their accounts suddenly suspended. One user said they used NordVPN from Hong Kong for six months before receiving a revocation email. Some users are now bypassing blocks by routing through Singapore and using foreign payment details.
Africa demands a voice in setting global AI safety rules
African leaders called for a greater role in setting global AI standards at a United Nations Security Council meeting. Lewis Garseedah Brown II of Liberia said Africa must be equal co-architects in determining AI standards and ethics. Many African nations lack the ability to independently test whether AI systems are safe for their populations. Only Kenya is participating in an AI safety network, and fewer than half of African countries have AI policies or strategies.
Security roundup: iCloud spoofing bugs and AI phishing
SecurityWeek reported several key cybersecurity developments this week. SEC Consult researcher Timo Longin disclosed $15K iCloud spoofing bugs that turned iCloud into an email spoofing tool. AI policy experts were targeted by phishing attacks. Poper Blocker was found to have a hidden interpreter siphoning AI conversations. Two former US airmen were sentenced to prison for BEC attacks, and Cloudflare Containers had a vulnerability exposing customer data.
Snow College gets $3M grant to lead rural AI education
Snow College in Ephraim, Utah received a $3 million federal grant to lead a five-year AI initiative. The grant will establish the Snow College Center for Rural AI Adoption and Integration. The program will bring enterprise-level AI access to students, faculty, and staff while expanding AI education through rural high schools. The initiative is expected to reach hundreds of rural high school students and educators annually across Snow College campuses in Ephraim, Richfield, and Nephi.
Apple skips Trump AI lunch amid different AI strategy
Apple was absent from a White House AI industry lunch that included leaders from NVIDIA, Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Amazon. The company was not on the published attendee list of 31 people from technology and government. Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a separate state dinner, and investor Brad Gerstner called the absence a nothing burger. Apple spent about $6.8 billion on R&D over nine months while competitors spent far more, yet its stock rose 22.5% in 2026.
Amazon signs 20-year nuclear power deal with Constellation
Amazon and Constellation Energy signed a 20-year power purchase agreement covering 690 megawatts from the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland. The deal includes more than $3 billion in infrastructure investment and about 190 MW of additional generating capacity planned between 2030 and 2032. A separate retail electricity supply agreement covers Amazon operations across the 13-state PJM market. The agreement responds to rising electricity demand from AI data centres, with the IEA projecting U.S. demand to grow nearly 2% annually through 2030.
Intezer revenue triples as enterprise AI security grows
Intezer reported revenue tripled in the first half of 2026 as enterprises expanded use of its AI security operations platform. The company launched four new products including a rebuilt MCP server, Custom Agents, Org Brain and Workflows. Its platform triages alerts and escalates fewer than 2% for human review. Intezer also launched the Amplify Partner Program and partner portal to expand sales through managed security service providers and resellers.
Sources
- Amazon pledges $1B to data center communities, warns that local opposition threatens U.S. AI lead
- Amazon vows $1 billion for data center towns, warning U.S. "can't afford to lose" AI race
- Amazon pledges $1 billion to blunt backlash over AI data center boom
- TESDA, Amazon offer cloud computing, AI courses
- Tesda to add free AWS cloud, AI courses to online program
- Volantis raises $88M for a photonic memory layer built for AI inference
- Hong Kong users caught offguard as Anthropic tightens VPN access to Claude
- Who gets to decide if AI is safe? Africa wants a say
- In Other News: $15K iCloud Spoofing Bugs, AI Policy Experts Phished, Adblocker Spies on AI Chats
- 'Transformational opportunity': Snow College gets $3M federal grant to lead Utah's rural AI future
- Why Apple didn’t make Trump’s AI guest list—and what it says about its AI strategy
- Amazon Signs 20-Year Nuclear Power Deal with Constellation as AI Data Centres Drive Rising U.S. Electricity Demand and Nuclear Energy Investment
- Intezer revenue triples as enterprise AI security expands
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