AWS Reno: Geothermal & Solar Powered Next-Gen Infrastructure
Status: Approved / Siting & Energy Development Phase (Announced May 19, 2026) | Location: Reno, Newada
Project Overview
Officially made public through landmark utility agreements on May 19, 2026, Amazon's major Nevada expansion represents a monumental step in the tech industry's race to find carbon-free, always-on energy supercycles to power artificial intelligence. To fulfill the massive, non-stop power demands of upcoming AWS cloud and AI clusters near Reno, Amazon has executed its first-ever major data center power deal involving deep geothermal energy. Partnering directly with clean-energy developer Zanskar, the project will pull 100 megawatts of constant, baseline geothermal energy. This geothermal footprint is paired alongside a massive 600-megawatt solar energy installation built by Primergy, which features 600 megawatts of integrated industrial battery storage to stabilize the clean power loop. This multi-billion dollar framework allows AWS to scale its computational density for generative AI training without adding critical peak-load thermal pressure to Nevada’s residential public utility lines.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | AWS Reno: Geothermal & Solar Powered Next-Gen Infrastructure |
| Location | Reno, Newada |
| Status | Approved / Siting & Energy Development Phase (Announced May 19, 2026) |
| Commissioning | Phase 1 Power Grid Integration Target: 2027 / 2028 |
| Total IT Load | 300 MW (Initial Facility Allocation Phase) |
| Total Capacity | 700 MW (Total Contracted Clean Energy Portfolio Siting) |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ High-Density Resilient Infrastructure |
| Project Type | Hyperscale AI Compute Hub / Always-On Clean Energy Microgrid Data Center |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Reno |
| Population | 275,000 |
| Urban Agglomeration | 520,000 |
| City GDP | Approximately USD 35 billion regional economy |
| Per Capita Income | Approximately USD 42,000 |
| City Tier | Tier 2 City |
| Key Strengths | Growing technology sector, logistics and distribution hub, tourism and gaming industry, business-friendly environment, proximity to California markets |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Developer / Operator | Amazon Web Services |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Zanskar Geothermal & Power Infrastructure |
| Construction Contractor | NV Energy |
| MEP Engineering | Fluor Corporation / Syska Hennessy Group |
| Network Connectivity | AWS Western US Terrestrial Dark Fiber Trunk Interconnects |
| Power Infrastructure | 700 MW Total Contracted Clean Power Portfolio Framework |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Power Capacity | 700 MW Total Contracted Clean Power Portfolio Framework |
| UPS Redundancy | 2N Redundant Systems paired with 600MW Utility-Scale On-Site Battery Storage |
| Cooling System | Evaporative Economizers combined with High-Density Liquid-to-Chip Server Core Loops |
| Connectivity | Carrier-Neutral Backbone; Quadruple Diverse Fibers with Low-Latency Links |
| PUE Target | 1.13 |
| Energy Mix | 100 MW Constant Geothermal Power + 600 MW Solar & 600 MW Battery Storage Array |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | May 19, 2026 |
| Construction Start | Expected Q4 2026 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Late 2027 |
| Full Buildout | Mid-2028 |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Total Investment | Estimated Multi-Billion Dollar Equipment, Siting, and Renewable Energy PPA Portfolio |
| Funding | Amazon Corporate Capital Expenditure (AWS Global Infrastructure Allocation) |