Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF) has struck a strategic two-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will see the cloud computing arm become the first customer for low-carbon copper produced using the miner’s breakthrough Nuton® bioleaching technology in the United States.
Under the collaboration, AWS will integrate the copper into components for its US data centres — used in critical applications such as electrical cables, transformers, motors and printed circuit boards — while also providing cloud-based data and analytics support to accelerate optimisation of Nuton’s proprietary extraction system at Rio Tinto’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona.
The deal underscores the intensifying demand for sustainably sourced critical minerals amid massive data centre expansion driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. Copper’s role as a key conductor of electricity and heat makes it essential to modern infrastructure, but global supply constraints and rising demand have pushed the industry to pursue innovative production methods.
Novel tech meets sustainability goals
Rio Tinto’s Nuton technology represents a departure from conventional copper processing. Instead of relying on energy-intensive concentrators, smelters and refineries, the modular system uses naturally occurring microorganisms to bioleach copper directly from primary sulphide ores.
The process produces 99.99% pure copper cathode at the mine gate, shortens the mine-to-market supply chain and significantly lowers water use and emissions compared with traditional routes.
Nuton also leverages advanced simulation models and analytics — capabilities that AWS is helping to enhance — to optimise reagent and water use and improve copper recovery forecasts. By bringing together industrial innovation and cloud computing, the two companies aim to scale the technology more rapidly and efficiently.
Rio Tinto Copper chief executive Katie Jackson said the collaboration demonstrated how technology and cloud expertise can deliver cleaner, lower-carbon materials at scale, while strengthening domestic supply chains for critical infrastructure.
“Together we can supply the copper critical to modern data infrastructure while demonstrating how mining can contribute to more sustainable supply chains,” she said.
AWS’s engagement also aligns with its broader Climate Pledge goal to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, with the company increasingly seeking low-emissions sources for the materials that power its vast computing networks.
Strategic context and market implications
The Johnson Camp mine — operated by Canada’s Gunnison Copper with Rio Tinto’s Nuton deployment — became the first new copper producer in the US in over a decade after producing its first copper cathodes late last year. The operation has an expected 15–20-year lifespan with significant annual output potential, marking a notable milestone for domestic critical mineral supply.
Copper markets have tightened amid surging demand from electrification, renewable energy and digital infrastructure sectors. Analysts forecast copper demand could rise by as much as 50% by 2040, with potential supply shortages threatening project pipelines and price volatility. Innovation in extraction technologies like Nuton is seen as part of the solution to unlock previously uneconomic resources and reduce environmental impact.
While exact financial terms and annual volumes under the AWS deal were not disclosed, the partnership sends a strong signal to both markets and policymakers about the strategic importance of securing sustainable critical minerals. For Rio Tinto, the move helps showcase its technology portfolio’s value, complementing broader industry efforts to lower carbon footprints and enhance resource efficiency.
For AWS, anchoring supply of low-carbon copper bolsters resilience in its global hardware supply chains at a time when cloud and AI services are rapidly expanding. It also reflects a growing trend among tech giants to directly engage with raw material producers to secure critical inputs for future growth.