Online store and technology company Amazon announced plans to invest $10 billion into North Carolina, creating an expected 500 new jobs along with it, according to a release.
The investment will be in the form of artificial intelligence infrastructure, in this case, data center infrastructure in Richmond County, to support their ever-increasing, cloud-computing technologies.
“Generative AI is driving increased demand for advanced cloud infrastructure and compute power, and our investment will support the future of AI from AWS data centers in the Tar Heel State,” Amazon said. “This deployment of cutting-edge cloud computing infrastructure will strengthen North Carolina’s position as an innovation hub.”
To help grow a workforce for data center and broadband industries, the company is investing in training programs across North Carolina’s educational system.
Community colleges, technical schools and universities will all benefit, they said. Eight North Carolina high school seniors received scholarships and Amazon internships through the newly-launched Amazon Future Engineer program for computer science and engineering students.
Programs available to students include data center operations, fiber optic technician programs and fusion splicing workshops, plus an Amazon Web Services Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship.
The Amazon Richmond County Community Fund was also launched. It's a grant program focused on STEM, sustainability and other community efforts. There's $150,000 in the fund and applications are open until July 23.
The investment helps keep North Carolina ahead of the curve, Governor Josh Stein said Wednesday.
“Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work and innovate, and I am pleased that North Carolina will stay at the forefront of all that’s ahead as we continue to attract top technology companies like Amazon,” Stein said Wednesday. “Amazon’s investment is among the largest in state history and will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs and an economic boost to Richmond County.”
This announcement follows the recent opening of a new Kannapolis facility that speeds up shipping for nearby customers, creating 100 new full-time positions.
Amazon’s North Carolina investments have created 24,000 jobs and added $13.1 billion to the state’s GDP since 2010, according to a release.