Rio Tinto will supply copper from its Arizona mine to Amazon Web Services using eco-friendly bioleaching tech.

Rio Tinto will supply copper from its Arizona Johnson Camp Mine to Amazon Web Services under a two-year agreement, marking AWS as the first customer for Rio’s Nuton bioleaching technology. The process uses bacteria to extract copper from low-grade ore with lower water use and carbon emissions, supporting sustainable mining and U.S. tech infrastructure. The copper, used in data center components, aligns with Amazon’s net-zero goals and growing demand for critical minerals driven by AI expansion. Financial terms and production volumes were not disclosed.