Gunnison Copper Corp (TSX:GCU, OTCQB:GCUMF, FRA:3XS0) announced that Rio Tinto has entered into a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) involving copper produced using Nuton bioleaching technology at Gunnison’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona.
Under the agreement, AWS will become the first customer for Nuton copper following the first industrial-scale deployment of the technology at Johnson Camp in December 2025.
AWS plans to use the initial Nuton-produced copper in components of its US data centers, where copper is used in applications such as electrical cabling, transformers, motors, circuit boards, and processor heat sinks.
As part of the collaboration, AWS will also provide cloud-based data and analytics services to support the optimisation of Nuton’s proprietary bioleaching process at the Johnson Camp mine. Nuton uses AWS platforms to model heap-leach performance and apply advanced analytics aimed at improving copper recovery while optimising acid and water use.
Nuton’s modular bioleaching system extracts copper from primary sulphide material using naturally occurring microorganisms. The system is designed to be scalable and adaptable to different mineralized material bodies, supported by digital tools that enable faster progression from development to production.
The process produces 99.99% pure copper cathode at the mine site and eliminates the need for traditional concentrators, smelters, and refineries. According to the company, the approach shortens the mine-to-market supply chain and is expected to use less water and generate lower carbon emissions than conventional concentrator-based processing, while also enabling recovery from material previously classified as waste.
"Having the first Nuton copper produced from Johnson Camp used in AWS's US data centres is a significant milestone for this innovative technology's ability to deliver lower-carbon, domestically produced and used copper,” Gunnison CEO Stephen Twyerould said in a statement.
“This collaboration highlights how innovation, digital optimization, and Made-in-America copper production can strengthen US supply chains, while supporting the growing demand for critical minerals powering modern infrastructure."
Katie Jackson, Rio Tinto copper chief executive, highlighted that bringing Nuton copper into AWS’s US data centre supply chain strengthens domestic resilience. “Together we can supply the copper critical to modern data infrastructure while demonstrating how mining can contribute to more sustainable supply chains,” Jackson said.