MADRID (Reuters) – Tech giant Amazon on Monday said it will use artificial intelligence to reduce flood risks in Spain’s northeastern region of Aragon where it is building data centres. Amazon’s cloud computing unit AWS announced in May it would invest 15.7 billion euros ($17.02 billion) in data centres in Aragon to significantly expand its cloud infrastructure. AWS said on Monday it planned to spend 17.2 million euros ($17.9 million) to reduce flood risks in the region by modernising infrastructure and using AI to optimise agricultural water use. The investment comes four months after catastrophic floods devastated large areas around Spain’s third-biggest city, Valencia. Spain’s highest-flow river, the Ebro, crosses Aragon on its way to its Mediterranean delta in Catalonia and the region is prone to flooding. Amazon will use advanced cloud computing technologies to deploy an early warning system that combines real-time data collection with advanced sensor networks and AI-powered analysis to help Aragon’s capital city Zaragoza monitor flood risks. The platform will monitor weather conditions and water flow to provide emergency services with advanced warnings of floods. Zaragoza’s local authorities are building flood defences at the Barranco de la Muerte or Death Ravine, after floods in 2023. ($1 = 0.9615 euros)
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Ros Russell)
