Tucson, Jan 20, 2026, 08:56 MST
Rio Tinto and Amazon Web Services struck a two-year deal to provide “low-carbon” copper, produced using Rio’s Nuton technology, for components in AWS data centers across the U.S., the companies announced. Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst described the move as “a fundamentally different approach” to copper production. 1
The pact comes amid a surge in big tech investment in data centers and the essential wiring, transformers, and circuit boards they require, ramping up the battle for copper. Rio Tinto noted this step highlights the AI sector’s scramble to secure critical mineral supplies. Analysts caution that global production might fall short of demand by the end of the decade. 2
Buyers aren’t just after the metal—they’re aiming to cut “Scope 3” emissions, the pollution tied to their supply chains instead of their own operations. Long-term offtake agreements are gaining traction as a tool to steer suppliers toward greener production methods and to mitigate supply risks, industry reports say. 3
Nuton uses bioleaching—employing naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from sulphide ore—and is currently in use at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona, a Business Wire statement said. According to a third-party life-cycle assessment cited in the statement, the copper’s full-scope carbon footprint stands at 2.82 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of copper, with water use estimated at 71 litres per kg. The project aims to produce around 30,000 tonnes over four years. Rio’s Katie Jackson highlighted the partnership’s potential to deliver “cleaner, lower-carbon materials at scale.” 4
Gunnison, owner of Johnson Camp, announced that AWS will incorporate the first Nuton copper from the mine into components for U.S. data centers. In addition, AWS will provide cloud analytics aimed at optimizing the mining process. Gunnison CEO Stephen Twyerould called this first use of domestically produced copper “a significant milestone.” 5
Amazon is also targeting lower-carbon materials beyond copper as it grows its infrastructure, focusing on concrete and steel. This effort aligns with its aim to hit net-zero carbon by 2040. In another update about its nuclear strategy, Amazon cited AWS CEO Matt Garman saying, “Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy.” The company highlighted deals related to small modular reactors and plans to build a data center next to a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. 6
But the volumes coming out of Arizona won’t fix the industry’s bigger supply issues, and scaling this new leaching method to different ore types is still a question mark. The Wall Street Journal noted the site’s planned output is modest compared to the copper demand from today’s data centers, even as power grids and electric vehicle sectors push their appetite higher. 7
Investors are zeroing in on the copper deal as part of Amazon’s broader strategy to lock down power and raw materials for its data centers, signaling a more direct grip on the AI supply chain. Barron’s highlighted forecasts like S&P Global’s, which predict copper demand rising from roughly 28 million tonnes in 2025 to around 42 million tonnes by 2040. 8
