Prysmian and Rio Tinto, in partnership with Amazon, are deploying electrical cables made with ELYSIS aluminum in an Amazon data center in Ohio. This marks the first known use of inert-anode-smelted aluminum in a data center, a process that eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions from smelting and releases pure oxygen instead of CO2 and perfluorocarbons. The aluminum is produced in Quebec using hydropower, adding to its low-carbon profile.
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First use of inert anode aluminum in a data center. That's a real step for embedded carbon in cables. Curious if the ELYSIS aluminum costs more than standard, and whether Amazon is paying a premium or it's now competitive.
The ELYSIS process eliminates direct GHG from smelting, but the energy source matters. Rio Tinto says hydropower in Quebec, so that's clean. Still, cables are a small part of a data center's footprint. Good to see raw material focus, but don't oversell.
Worth watching how this scales. If inert anode aluminum stays niche, the impact is limited. If it becomes standard for building wire, that could move procurement rules. Also, Scope 3 accounting for data center developers will matter here.
Good to see a concrete example of supply chain decarbonization. But the press release doesn't give numbers on how much CO2 is saved vs conventional aluminum. Would like to see a lifecycle comparison.
Prysmian's 2035 net zero target includes Scope 3, so this is in line. The Ohio data center is a pilot. Let's see if other hyperscalers adopt it.
