AWS Data Center Campus

Environment & Resources

Responsible Resource Management

AI infrastructure campuses require electricity, cooling, and water to operate reliably. AWS incorporates technologies and practices designed to improve efficiency, conserve natural resources, and minimize environmental impacts. Visit the Amazon website to learn more about AWS sustainability goals, practices, and progress.

The New Carlisle Campus at a Glance:

Air Cooling	Approximately 98% of the time
Water Use	Estimated 18 million gallons annually at full build-out
Electricity	At completion, the site will use approximately 2.2 GW
Renewable Energy	635 MW supporting Indiana operations
Noise	Meets all applicable St. Joseph County noise standards

 

Environmental Stewardship

What environmental studies or permits were required for this project?

AWS and St. Joseph County have completed the necessary environmental studies and permitting processes to ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations. These include groundwater and wellfield assessments, stormwater management plans, and environmental impact reviews to protect air, land, and water resources. Ongoing monitoring will ensure the project continues to meet all sustainability and environmental standards.

How does AWS protect the environment?

AWS designs and operates its facilities with a focus on efficiency, responsible resource management, and environmental stewardship. Environmental considerations include water conservation, energy efficiency, stormwater management, and protection of surrounding natural resources.

Together, these efforts reflect AWS's approach to balancing reliable AI infrastructure with responsible environmental stewardship and long-term resource management.

AWS maintains full compliance with all environmental regulations through dedicated on-site environmental professionals. Their primary focus is compliance, delivering rigorous training programs, systematic data collection, comprehensive environmental reporting, and proactive compliance management to meet every local, state, and federal regulatory requirement.

How is the campus regulated?

Like other major industrial and infrastructure developments, the AWS campus is subject to a comprehensive regulatory and permitting process. Construction and operations must comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing environmental protection, stormwater management, utilities, building safety, and other operational requirements.

Multiple agencies oversee different aspects of the project to help ensure compliance with applicable regulations throughout both construction and ongoing operations.

Water

How is St. Joseph County ensuring long-term protection of the aquifer?

St. Joseph County engaged Peerless Midwest, a groundwater and wellfield management expert, to evaluate the Kankakee Aquifer's safe yield. The study estimated a safe yield of approximately 44 million gallons per day. To provide an additional margin of protection, the County established a 24 million-gallon-per-day limit on withdrawals from the water system serving the Indiana Enterprise Center. Actual water use remains well below this threshold.

The findings are also supported by the Indiana Finance Authority's 2025 Kankakee Basin Regional Water Study, an independent regional analysis that evaluated current and projected water demand and availability over a 50-year period. The study includes St. Joseph County and the Indiana Enterprise Center and found substantial groundwater resources within the Kankakee Basin.

Read the Indiana Finance Authority's 2025 Kankakee Basin Regional Water Study

How much water does the campus use?

Water is used primarily to support cooling systems that help maintain safe operating temperatures for computing equipment. However, the New Carlisle campus relies on air cooling approximately 98% of the time, meaning water is needed only during the hottest periods of the year when additional cooling is required.

A helpful comparison is a shopping mall parking lot. Parking lots are built to accommodate the busiest shopping day of the year, even though they operate well below capacity most days. Similarly, the campus cooling system is designed to handle the hottest summer days, but for the vast majority of the year it relies primarily on outside air rather than water.

Because of this design, the campus at full build-out is expected to use approximately 18 million gallons of water annually. To put this into perspective, 18 million gallons is roughly equivalent to the annual water use of:

• 600 people
• 180 average homes
• Nine average full-service restaurants

What is AWS doing to support sustainable water management in Indiana and New Carlisle?

To support sustainable water use, AWS has launched two projects in Indiana:

1. The “Smart Irrigation Project” in the Kankakee Aquifer region. The project deploys sensors across 7,000 acres of irrigated farmland to collect real-time data on weather conditions, crop health, and irrigation operations. This data is processed using AI technology on the AWS cloud, enabling crop intelligence company Arable to provide farmers with actionable insights that optimize irrigation practices and preserve water resources in the Kankakee Aquifer.

2. A “Smart Wetland” restoration project in the Kankakee River Watershed, designed to filter excess nutrients from agricultural runoff before they reach local waterways, thereby enhancing overall water quality.  The system also uses AI technology to help farmers make informed decisions about irrigation timing and volume.

Together, these efforts are expected to conserve or improve the quality of about 100 million gallons of water each year. They also support AWS’s broader goal of being water-positive by 2030.

How does AWS conserve water?

Water conservation begins with facility design. By relying primarily on outside air for cooling and using water only during peak demand periods, the campus significantly reduces overall water consumption. AWS designs and operates data centers to achieve industry-leading efficiency in both water and power usage. Due to the region’s climate, the design will use water for less than 2% of the year, during periods of peak summer temperatures. For the other 98% of the year, the AWS data center will use outside air and push it directly to the servers for cooling. This approach reduces electricity demand by 25-35% precisely when the grid experiences peak summer loads, and regional power demand is at its highest.

Electricity & Energy

How will AWS power its data centers?

AWS works closely with local utilities and grid operators to ensure the data center campus operates within the region’s power capacity. The company continues to expand renewable energy generation in Indiana through large-scale solar and wind projects, helping to balance energy demand with sustainable supply. Globally, AWS matches 100% of its electricity use with renewable energy, achieving this target seven years ahead of its original 2030 goal.

AWS designs facilities for efficiency, reporting a global Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, better than the industry average of 1.25.

Does AWS use renewable energy?

AWS is one of the world's largest corporate purchasers of renewable energy and has supported approximately 635 megawatts of renewable energy capacity through five wind and solar projects in Indiana. These investments help advance the company's commitment to powering its operations with carbon-free energy.

How is the electric grid prepared for a project of this size?

Electric utilities plan major infrastructure projects years in advance. New transmission lines, substations, and other system improvements are designed to support current and future electricity needs, maintain reliable service for homes and businesses, and support future economic growth.

Learn more about Indiana Michigan Power/AEP Indiana Transmission Projects and track the progress.

Will the data center impact electric reliability?

No. AWS investments in new substations and transmission infrastructure strengthen grid reliability for all customers – and AWS is funding 100% of these costs.

Will my electric bill go up?

Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has stated that increased electricity demand from large customers, including data centers, is helping lower costs for existing customers rather than increasing them. In February 2026, I&M announced plans to file a Customer Benefits Plan to reduce base rates, saying load growth and additional revenue from large customers make the reduction possible. In May 2026, I&M announced that Indiana residential customers would see an average 3.6% decrease in electric bills beginning with the June billing cycle and proposed a multi-year freeze of non-fuel rates for Indiana customers.

In addition, Indiana's approved large-load tariff requires new large energy users, such as data centers, to make long-term financial commitments for the infrastructure needed to serve them. This policy is intended to help ensure existing residential and business customers are not required to subsidize infrastructure built specifically for new large-load customers.

Learn more about the Indiana Michigan Power/AEP Rate Decrease announcement.

Noise

Will the campus create excessive noise?

Amazon designs and operates its data centers in compliance with local ordinances. Several measures are taken to minimize sound, including conducting extensive acoustic modeling, implementing sound mitigation techniques and systems, working with suppliers to design equipment to reduce sound, and performing regular maintenance to ensure all systems operate as designed.

Backup Power

Why are backup generators needed?

Like hospitals, airports, emergency response centers, and many other critical facilities, AI infrastructure campuses maintain backup generators to provide temporary power during an unexpected utility outage.

Backup generators are not used during normal operations. They operate only during utility interruptions or routine testing to ensure they are ready if needed. The backup generators are used less than 15 hours per generator per year, are well maintained, and meet all regulatory requirements. AWS has also invested in advanced Tier 4 emission control systems, reducing NOx emissions by more than 90% compared to Tier 2 generators and ensuring the cleanest, most compliant backup power available.