- AWS becomes the first commercial user of Nuton bioleached copper following industrial-scale deployment in Arizona
- Collaboration spans material offtake, cloud data and analytics, and technology optimisation to reduce water use and emissions in copper production
- Partnership reflects rising C-suite focus on resilient low carbon supply chains for critical minerals and data infrastructure
Rio Tinto and Amazon Web Services have begun a bilateral collaboration that connects industrial mining innovation to the expanding needs of U.S. data centres for critical minerals produced with lower carbon and water intensity. Under a two-year agreement, AWS will incorporate the first Nuton copper produced at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine into components used in its domestic data infrastructure. AWS will also provide cloud data and analytics support to help optimise the proprietary Nuton bioleaching platform as it scales.
Low Carbon Copper for Digital Infrastructure
Copper remains essential to data centre electrical systems, including cables, busbars, transformers, motors, circuit boards, and thermal management. As cloud and artificial intelligence workloads accelerate, hyperscalers are scrutinising the supply chains behind primary materials that underpin energy consumption and resilience. The Nuton copper being deployed into AWS infrastructure is produced at industrial scale using a bioleaching process that Rio Tinto describes as modular and rapid to deploy.
Nuton’s system uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulphide ores. By eliminating the need for traditional concentrators, smelters, and refineries, the process shortens the mine-to-market chain and produces 99.99 percent pure copper cathode at the mine gate. According to Rio Tinto, the pathway reduces water and emissions intensity relative to conventional concentrator routes while enabling economic recovery from ore that would previously have been classified as waste.
Data and Analytics to Scale Bioleaching
The collaboration also involves cloud-based simulation, performance monitoring, and decision systems. Nuton is using AWS platforms to simulate heap-leach performance and integrate advanced analytics into its operational models. The goal is to optimise acid and water use, improve copper recovery predictions, and reduce time from concept to commercial deployment across diverse ore bodies.
Rio Tinto Copper Chief Executive Katie Jackson said: “This collaboration is a powerful example of how industrial innovation and cloud technology can combine to deliver cleaner, lower-carbon materials at scale. Nuton has already proven its ability to rapidly move from idea to industrial production, and AWS’s data and analytics expertise will help us to accelerate optimisation and verification across operations.“
“Importantly, by bringing Nuton copper into AWS’s U.S. data-centre supply chain, we’re helping to strengthen domestic resilience and secure the critical materials those facilities need, closer to where they’re used. Together we can supply the copper critical to modern data infrastructure while demonstrating how mining can contribute to more sustainable supply chains.”
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Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said: “Amazon’s Climate Pledge goal to reach net zero carbon by 2040 requires us to innovate across every part of our operations, including how we source the materials that power our infrastructure.”
“This collaboration with Nuton Technology represents exactly the kind of breakthrough we need, a fundamentally different approach to copper production that helps reduce carbon emissions and water use. As we continue to invest in next-generation carbon-free energy technology and expand our data centre operations, securing access to lower-carbon materials produced close to home strengthens both our supply chain resilience and our ability to decarbonize at scale.”
Industrial Policy and ESG Implications for C-suite and Investors
For boardrooms and sustainability leaders, the partnership sits at the intersection of three themes: critical minerals security, low carbon industrial processes, and the scaling demands of hyperscale computing. The U.S. and its industrial allies have elevated copper and other minerals as strategic inputs to electrification, digitalisation, and net zero infrastructure. Ensuring domestic or near-shore access to cleaner materials has become a priority for both competitiveness and decarbonisation.
If Nuton’s performance claims prove durable across ore types, the technology could shift cost curves for stranded or low-grade sulphide resources and potentially reduce permitting pressures associated with concentrator and smelter infrastructure. The use of cloud simulation and advanced analytics also aligns with investor focus on precision resource management and lower scope emissions in mining.
Global Relevance
Cloud computing growth has become a structural driver of copper demand, with the International Energy Agency and other forecasters projecting increasing intensity as AI workloads expand. Rio Tinto and AWS are positioning this agreement as evidence that low carbon supply chains can be engineered within domestic markets while advancing ESG and resilience goals. How quickly Nuton and similar platforms scale will shape both the economics of copper supply and the sustainability profile of digital infrastructure.
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