Amazon CEO Andy Jassy joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss AI's demand for power, meeting the demand for AI compute, AI infrastructure buildout, and more.

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy described the current demand for artificial intelligence computing power as 'unprecedented,' noting that AI labs are consuming vast amounts of resources and building numerous data centers. He highlighted the ambitious infrastructure investments by companies such as OpenAI, which has signed deals to build $1.4 trillion in infrastructure, and discussed Amazon's own efforts to secure critical resources like copper and electricity.

Jassy acknowledged ongoing power shortages in the U.S. and globally, despite improvements over the past 18 months, and outlined Amazon's initiatives in renewable energy, nuclear technology, and water conservation. He emphasized that Amazon funds its own infrastructure and power needs, creates jobs in local communities, and does not expect others to cover its costs.

Amazon CEO: 'Unprecedented' how much AI compute being consumed

Earlier today, I sat down with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and asked him about the immense demands of artificial intelligence, like computing power and grid power, and how tech giants like Amazon are planning to meet all those demands. It is so unprecedented how much compute is being consumed right now. You just have to only look at how much, you know, how many, how much power is needed, how many data centers are being built. There is the, the AI labs are consuming gobs and gobs of compute right now. And so those AI labs believe they have opportunities if they, if they train models very expansively to keep changing the intelligence of these models. So they need a lot of compute, they need money for the compute. And so they're trying to find ways to fund that compute. And I'd say a lot of the companies who provide that compute want to be, you know, want to serve those customers and then have opportunities to also invest in those companies as those companies are looking to find ways to fund what they're doing. And I think those companies are impressive companies. So I think when you look at a company like Anthropic, a company like OpenAI, I mean, these are, these are unusual companies who've been building amazing models for, you know, 10 plus years and are reshaping the way people use applications. And so I just think it's a function of the time where tons of computer being asked for, they need ways to fund it. Companies have opportunities to invest in companies. Those companies are impressive companies and you're just seeing some of that. But I, I don't know if that'll continue or not. Do you think it ends well? I think it could end well. I mean, you know, I'm saying anytime you make substantial investments, if you look at the history of M&A and investments, not all of them are successful. And the hit rate is pretty variable. So I think whether, you know, whether the investments end well or not, we'll have to see. But, but, you know, I do think the companies that we're talking about just in the last few minutes are impressive companies. OpenAI, for instance, I think they've signed deals to build out $1.4 trillion in infrastructure just in the last several months. That's pretty ambitious. I think it's realistic based on the demand you see. Well, it is ambitious. I agree with you. And I would say that they are ambitious. And, and I think they're ambitious and they're forward thinking. And I know that they believe they need quite a bit of compute to train the models the way they believe changes what's possible. And, you know, I don't know the details of all those deals. Sometimes when I get a chance to look at them, I, you know, I have a harder time making sense of them all. And I just don't know what, which ones are guaranteed to spend those amounts and which are options to spend those amounts. But I know that the companies believe they need that much compute. Yeah. Let's talk about data centers, because that's something that you guys are also on the forefront. You just signed a deal with Rio Tinto to lock up more of the copper that they're taking out of the ground. It's not just copper, it's electricity. It's all these things that there's a huge rising demand. Do we have the ability to meet that demand? And what else are you doing to kind of make sure you're getting it? Well, we have not had the, power has been short, you know, in the U.S., around the world, there is a power shortage. I think that it is better than it was 18 months ago and still not as plentiful as we all need. I mean, I think everyone would tell you while it's better than 18 months ago, we still could be fulfilling more demand if we had more capacity. And so we have tried every which way we can to work with different communities and different municipalities to, and different technology providers to enable more power. And we've done unique things on the nuclear side. We've invested in some SMR capabilities. We have been the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for the last five years. You know, wherever we, you know, we have an initiative with water where we give back more water than we take in all the communities in which we operate. And so we're doing everything we possibly can to help try to enable more power. And, you know, we want to do it. We don't expect other people to pay for us. We expect to fund the power that we need. And we create a lot of good jobs in the communities in which we're building a lot of data centers. And we intend to continue to do so. When you say you don't expect other people to pay for it, that's been an issue that President Trump has kind of been talking about writ large. He is kind of pushing back on a lot of companies to make sure that consumers aren't paying more for this. What do you guys do on that on that level? Well, we spend so much money on power, Becky. I mean, we're spending a lot of money in infrastructure. We have always paid our own way. We've always expected to pay our own way.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said the European Union should not bend to 'the law of the strongest.' He told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that it was staggering that the EU was having to contemplate using its 'anti-coercion instrument' against the U.S. (Macron is wearing dark glasses because of an eye condition.)

Paris

France's Macron says EU shouldn't bend to 'law of the strongest'

France's Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump have long exchanged firm handshakes, but their relationship is showing cracks. In a striking break from diplomatic norms, Trump publicly shared what he called a private message from Macron – proposing a G7 meeting in Paris and discussing Syria, Iran, and Greenland.

Washington

Trump publishes Macron's message, threatens French wine tariffs

The death toll from Sunday's high-speed train collision in Spain has risen to 41 as recovery crews use cranes to lift up the train cars and look for victims underneath. Chris Livesay reports on the search for a cause of the crash.

Adamuz

Investigators search for cause of deadly Spain train crash

Valentino, the renowned Italian fashion designer who proudly boasted he "knows what women want" has died in Rome. His sumptuous creations saw him crowned the king of the red carpet for major celebrities needing to be dressed to impress.

Rome

Valentino, 'The Last Emperor' of Italian fashion dies aged 93

The "Board of Peace" was an idea initially proposed by Trump last September as part of his plan to end the war in Gaza, although the initiative now seems to be aimed at mediating global conflicts more broadly.

Global Tariffs

Trump threatens 200% tariffs on French wine over ‘Board of Peace’

People who joined antigovernment protests in Iran are given a three-day deadline to turn themselves in and face a more lenient sentence.

Tehran

Iran police give protesters three days to surrender for leniency

Some 3,000 federal agents are still in the Twin Cities area as President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act over continued protests against immigration operations there. Ian Lee reports.

Minnesota

ICE operations, protests continue in Twin Cities as Trump threatens

President Trump continued his push for the U.S. to take over Greenland, telling the prime minister of Norway his perceived snub for the Nobel Peace Prize meant he no longer feels obligated to "think only of peace." The prize is awarded by the private Nobel Institute, not the Norwegian government. Ed O'Keefe has more, and then Holly Williams joins with analysis.

Greenland Stand-Off

Trump ties Greenland threat to perceived Nobel Peace Prize snub

Valentino Garavani, founder and namesake of the luxury fashion empire Valentino, has died at 93. Garavani was known for a trademarked shade of red, a staple at his fashion shows for nearly half a century.

Iconic fashion designer Valentino Garavani dead at 93

Experts studying the cause of the derailment of a high-speed train in Spain - which killed dozens of people - found a broken joint on the rails, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Investigators find broken joint on track at Spanish rail crash site

Prince Harry is back in a London court, along with a slew of other high-profile figures, fighting the publisher of the Daily Mail over invasion of privacy and illegal information gathering tactics.

London

Prince Harry back in London court fighting British tabloids

U.S. President Donald Trump has told Norway's prime minister in a letter that he no longer feels obligated "to think purely of Peace" because he had not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and he repeated his demand for control of Greenland.

Trump tells Norway he no longer feels obligated to think only of peace

Billionaire wealth surged at three times ‍its recent pace ​last year to reach its highest level on record, deepening economic and political divides that threaten democratic ⁠stability, anti-poverty group Oxfam said.

World billionaire wealth hits new peak amid rising poverty, Oxfam says

A high-speed train collision that caused a derailment in southern Spain has killed at least 39 people, officials say. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.

High-speed train crash in Spain kills dozens

Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering sending Canadian Forces personnel to Greenland for military exercises with NATO allies in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats on European nations who block his efforts to acquire the island, two senior Canadian officials told CBC News.

Ottawa

Carney considering sending troops to Greenland for NATO exercises

The deal followed hours after the Syrian army seized oil and gas fields and two major northeastern towns in clashes with the SDF. Fighting earlier this month has displaced tens of thousands.

Aleppo

Syrian government agrees to ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF

European countries held an emergency meeting in Brussels Sunday in response to President Trump's post threatening tariffs against countries that have sent military forces into Greenland amid his push to annex the Arctic island.

Brussels

European leaders denounce Trump's tariff threat over Greenland

After 25 years of talks, the EU signed the EU-Mercosur trade deal on Saturday, creating a 700 million-person free-trade area. Ratification is still pending, however, with the European Parliament set for a heated debate.

Asunción

EU seals contentious trade deal with Mercosur countries

European governments blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that eight countries will face 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland beginning next month.

Nuuk

European governments condemn Trump's tariff threats over Greenland

Palestinians in Gaza expressed both concern and hope after the White House announced some members of a so-called "Board of Peace" that will supervise the temporary governance of the war-torn enclave, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Gazans wary as U.S. names 'Board of Peace' under Trump's plan

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on eight European countries until they allow the U.S. to buy the autonomous Danish territory.

Trump escalates pressure on Europe over Greenland control

Protesters who support the surge of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis have clashed with counter-protesters, while state officials announced that the Minnesota National Guard had been mobilized. Adding to the mayhem was the freezing January weather.

Minneapolis

Pro and anti-ICE protesters clash in Minneapolis

Iran's supreme leader blamed the U.S. for the protests against his regime that resulted in a violent crackdown. Willie James Inman has President Trump's response.

Iran blames U.S. for protests, Trump punches back

President Trump announced that he would institute 10% tariffs on eight European countries who oppose his plan to put Greenland under U.S. control. The announcement came after a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers flew to Denmark to express support for keeping Greenland under Danish control.

Trump announces new tariffs on European countries who backed Greenland

Large crowds of demonstrators marched through Copenhagen and other Danish cities on Saturday in support of Greenland's sovereignty amid tensions with the US.

Copenhagen

Thousands take part in 'Hands off Greenland' protests in Denmark

The United States will impose increasing tariffs on several European countries until the U.S. is able to purchase Greenland, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff.

Trump threatens tariffs against European nations over Greenland support

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won his seventh term with 71.65% of votes, according to official results Saturday, defeating the youthful challenger who campaigned for change after four decades of the same government.

Kampala

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wins seventh term

There will be no territorial concessions in Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said, answering Euronews' question on whether Kyiv is now being pressured into territorial concessions.

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine will not cede any of its territory, Zelenskyy says

The United States on Thursday said Iran halted 800 executions of protesters under pressure from President Donald Trump, after Gulf allies appeared to pull him back from military action over Tehran's deadly crackdown on demonstrations.

U.S. claims Iran halts executions of protesters amid crackdown

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met with President Donald Trump on Thursday at the White House. She presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, which was seen as a peace offering to win his support.

Amazon CEO: 'Unprecedented' how much AI compute being consumed

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Rise of AI