Rio Tinto and AWS partner to supply low-carbon US copper to data centres

PHOENIX, January 15, 2026 – Rio Tinto has partnered with Amazon Web Services to supply copper produced via Nuton bioleaching technology for US data centres, the global mining player said on Thursday.

Under the two-year deal, AWS becomes the first customer of Rio Tinto’s Nuton technology, which last month began industrial-scale operations at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona. AWS will integrate the low-carbon copper into components for its data centres and provide cloud-based analytics to optimise Nuton’s operations.

Nuton’s modular system uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulphide ores. The process produces 99.99% pure copper cathode at site, reducing the need for conventional smelting and refining, and enabling shorter mine-to-market delivery.

Rio Tinto said the project’s copper has a full-scope carbon footprint of just 2.82 kgCO₂e/kg Cu and a water intensity of 71 litres per kilogram, well below global averages . The site is powered by renewable energy through 134,000 Green-e certified certificates.

“This collaboration is a powerful example of how industrial innovation and cloud technology can combine to deliver cleaner, lower-carbon materials at scale,” Rio Tinto Copper chief executive Katie Jackson said.

Based in the UK, Rio Tinto is a global mining group with operations spanning 35 countries. It produces copper, aluminium, iron ore and industrial minerals and has invested heavily in technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. In the US, it is advancing low-carbon production initiatives in Arizona and Utah.

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