Prysmian and Rio Tinto will collaborate to install what they claim is the first known use of inert-anode-smelted, low-carbon aluminum in data center electrical cables.

The companies are working with Amazon for installation at its data center near Columbus, Ohio.

The companies are using their Elysis technology to produce aluminum with no direct greenhouse gas emissions from an aluminum smelting process. Instead, the technology produces oxygen.

The goal is to accelerate sustainability across all operations by 2040 through decarbonizing operations and supply chain at the raw material level, the companies said.

“Traditionally, making aluminum is carbon-intensive, but this wire was made with technology that emits oxygen instead of carbon dioxide and perfluorocarbons,” said Joern Tinnemeyer, vice president of data center engineering at Amazon Web Services (AWS). “Prysmian, Rio Tinto, and Wesco International are showing that lower-carbon materials aren't a future concept – they're here and going into Amazon data centers today.”

The Elysis-produced aluminum electrical cables are created and shipped out at Prysmian’s Sedalia, Missouri, factory.

"Data center customers are increasingly looking for solutions that help them meet aggressive growth targets while advancing their sustainability objectives," said David Speidelsbach, vice president of sales and strategic initiatives at Wesco International, a supply chain solutions vendor. "This project demonstrates what is possible when manufacturers, distributors and end users work together to accelerate innovation.”