Prysmian and Rio Tinto bring low-carbon aluminium cables to Amazon data centre

The Ohio project marks a real-world application of ELYSIS-produced aluminium, linking Rio Tinto’s smelting technology with Prysmian’s cable manufacturing.

Prysmian and Rio Tinto are bringing low-carbon aluminium into the data-centre supply chain through a project for Amazon in Ohio, where Prysmian will supply electrical cables made using aluminium produced with ELYSIS inert-anode technology.

The project connects Rio Tinto’s aluminium production technology with Prysmian’s cable manufacturing capabilities, providing a specific application for the companies’ work on lower-carbon materials. Prysmian says the cables will be manufactured at its facility in Sedalia, Missouri, and that the project is the first known use of inert-anode-smelted aluminium in a data centre.

ELYSIS technology is designed to replace the carbon anodes used in conventional aluminium smelting. According to Prysmian, the process eliminates direct greenhouse-gas emissions from the smelting process and releases pure oxygen instead.

Long-term partnership moves towards application

The Amazon project builds on an established relationship between Prysmian and Rio Tinto. The companies signed a five-year supply agreement in 2023 for low-carbon aluminium produced using renewable hydropower at Rio Tinto’s Canadian operations.

They later expanded their collaboration through a joint development agreement. In March 2026, the companies announced work involving ELYSIS-produced aluminium, identifying data centres as a potential area of application.

At the time, Prysmian said its customers, particularly those in the data-centre sector, shared sustainability commitments. Rio Tinto also identified the expanding data-centre market as an area where lower-carbon aluminium could contribute to decarbonisation efforts.

The Ohio project now provides a concrete example of that potential, although the companies have not disclosed its contract value, cable volumes or expected revenue contribution.

Explore how aluminium electrical wires and cables are shaping the power sector, with market trends and forecasts through 2030 in AL Circle’s latest report, Aluminium Wires & Cables – Insights & Forecast to 2030.

Data-centre demand meets decarbonisation targets

Amazon Web Services Vice President of Data Center Engineering Joern Tinnemeyer linked the Ohio initiative to Amazon’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040.

The project also aligns with Prysmian’s own environmental and business objectives. The company is targeting net-zero emissions by 2035 and aims for sustainability-linked solutions to account for 55 per cent of revenue by 2028.

For the aluminium sector, the application illustrates how lower-carbon metal could be incorporated into electrical infrastructure serving data centres. However, the project does not establish how widely the technology will be adopted across Amazon’s facilities or the broader market.

Commercial scale remains a key question

The use of ELYSIS-produced aluminium in the Ohio project represents progress from the development stage, but it does not by itself demonstrate that the technology can be deployed at large scale.

When Prysmian announced its ELYSIS collaboration with Rio Tinto in March, it said the aluminium remained in development. The current project shows the material moving into a data-centre application, but the companies have not provided information on production capacity, wider availability or a timeline for broader adoption.

The absence of disclosed project value and volume also makes it difficult to assess the direct financial impact on Prysmian or Rio Tinto. Amazon’s participation confirms a specific use case, but there is no announcement that the cables will be used across additional data centres.

For now, the Ohio project is a practical step in the development of lower-carbon aluminium cables for data-centre infrastructure. Its wider significance will depend on whether the technology can scale and secure further commercial applications.

Explore AL Circle’s B2B Marketplace to discover aluminium electrical and power products and connect with suppliers across the industry.