The U.S. technology and e-commerce company said it now returns more water to communities than it consumes across its Indian operations, including data centers, warehouses and corporate offices. Amazon said the milestone was achieved a year earlier than planned through reductions in water consumption and investments in projects such as watershed restoration and efficient irrigation systems.

The announcement comes as major technology firms, including Amazon, Microsoft and Google’s parent company Alphabet, face increasing pressure from shareholders, environmental groups and local communities over the resource demands associated with large-scale data center developments.

Amazon has pledged to become water positive across its global data center operations by 2030. The company said its data centers in India do not use water-based cooling systems, a notable distinction in a country where water availability remains a persistent challenge.

India accounts for roughly 18% of the world’s population but possesses only about 4% of global freshwater resources, making water management a critical issue for policymakers and businesses alike.

Water shortages typically intensify during the summer months, and conditions have been exacerbated this year by weak monsoon rainfall linked to a strong El Niño weather pattern.

Among the regions facing the greatest pressure are Karnataka, home to the technology hub of Bengaluru, and Maharashtra, which includes Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Authorities in Mumbai said this week the city, with a population of about 13 million, had water reserves sufficient for only around 40 more days under current conditions.

The water conservation announcement coincides with Amazon’s broader expansion plans in India, one of its fastest-growing markets. The company has said it intends to invest more than $35 billion in the country by 2030 to strengthen artificial intelligence capabilities and support export growth.

Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing division, plans to invest approximately $8.2 billion in Maharashtra, according to information previously disclosed by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Microsoft and Google have also unveiled significant investments in India’s data center sector over the past year, reflecting growing demand for cloud services and AI-related computing infrastructure in the country.

As technology companies accelerate investments in digital infrastructure, environmental concerns surrounding electricity consumption, land use and water resources are increasingly becoming a focus for regulators, investors and local communities.

The program, called America’s Workforce Academy, will provide tuition-free training for data center technicians and guarantee job offers to graduates, Meta said on Monday. The initiative is designed to help meet growing labor demands linked to the company’s rapidly expanding network of AI-focused data centers across the United States.

Meta said graduates will be offered full-time positions with contractors involved in the company’s data center construction projects. The company did not disclose how many jobs would ultimately be available, identify participating contractors, or specify whether the positions would be covered by union agreements.The Associated Builders and Contractors, a construction industry trade group participating in the initiative, said it expects to train thousands of workers through the program over time.

“The AI revolution is bringing change but also historic opportunities,” said Dina Powell McCormick, Meta’s president and vice chairman.The workforce investment forms part of a broader infrastructure strategy under which Meta has pledged to invest approximately $600 billion in U.S. jobs and infrastructure over the next three years.

The company is building large-scale data centers to support advanced artificial intelligence systems and next-generation computing services.Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has made AI development a central priority, pursuing what he describes as “personal superintelligence” capable of performing tasks autonomously on behalf of users, including creating applications, scheduling appointments and conducting transactions.

To advance those goals, Meta has significantly expanded its recruitment of AI talent, including aggressive hiring efforts targeting researchers from competing technology firms. The company has also undertaken a broader restructuring focused on artificial intelligence development, reducing headcount in some areas while reallocating employees to teams responsible for AI products, models and infrastructure.

The announcement highlights the growing economic footprint of AI-related construction projects across the United States. Large data center developments typically generate substantial short-term demand for skilled construction labor, though operational facilities generally employ significantly smaller permanent workforces.

One of Meta’s largest planned data center projects in Texas is expected to support more than 1,800 workers during peak construction activity while creating roughly 100 long-term operational positions after completion. A separate facility in Oklahoma is projected to generate more than 1,000 construction jobs at peak activity and approximately 100 permanent jobs once operational.

The investment underscores intensifying competition among major technology companies to secure the infrastructure, energy resources and skilled labor required to support increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems.