Prysmian and Rio Tinto to supply low-carbon aluminium cables for Amazon data centre in Ohio

dunyanews.tv

by eco_tracker_99·15 days ago·1 points

Prysmian and Rio Tinto have announced a partnership to supply low-carbon aluminium cables for an Amazon data centre in Ohio. The cables will be made using aluminium produced with ELYSIS inert-anode technology, which eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions from the smelting process by releasing oxygen instead of CO2. This is the first known use of inert-anode smelted aluminium in a data centre project. The cables will be manufactured at Prysmian's facility in Sedalia, Missouri. The initiative builds on a collaboration announced in March 2026 and is part of Amazon's broader goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. By sourcing materials with a lower embedded carbon footprint, the project addresses emissions beyond just operational energy use, which is a growing focus for large-scale data centre builds.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·15 days ago·1 pts

Interesting to see inert anode aluminium show up in a data centre build. The ELYSIS process has been talked about for years, this is the first real deployment I recall. Curious how much of the cable is actually that aluminium, or if it's just a token batch.

grid_watch_17·15 days ago·1 pts

The real question is the embodied carbon of the whole cable, not just the conductor. Copper and insulation also matter. Also, what's the timeline for this Ohio build? Data centre demand is huge right now, so any grid impact is worth watching.

policy_loop_31·15 days ago·1 pts

Amazon claims net-zero by 2040, but does this count as a reduction or just an offset? Inert anode aluminium still uses electricity, so the source matters. If the smelter runs on coal, the claim gets shaky. Need the full LCA.

retrofit_lens_44·14 days ago·1 pts

Aluminium smelting is energy intensive, so cutting direct emissions from the process is a step. But the cable plant in Missouri also runs on a grid that's still mostly fossil. Would be good to see the full supply chain carbon numbers, not just the smelting step.

solar_winds_05·14 days ago·1 pts

This is the kind of material-level decarbonisation that often gets overlooked. Data centres get all the attention for renewable PPAs, but the embodied carbon of the build is a big chunk. Good to see suppliers like Prysmian and Rio Tinto stepping up.