New York, Feb 24, 2026, 16:34 EST — After-hours
- Amazon shares finished Tuesday 1.6% higher, closing at $208.56.
- The $12 billion data-center project in Louisiana has thrown AI-fueled spending into sharper relief.
- New legal challenges surfaced for the retailer and cloud provider as regulators in both California and Italy weighed in.
Amazon.com Inc climbed 1.6%, finishing Tuesday at $208.56. That move followed the unveiling of a $12 billion data center project in Louisiana by the company and state officials a day earlier.
Investors are suddenly nervous about the scale of spending Big Tech is throwing at data centers and the chips needed for artificial intelligence. The buildout is front and center now. Capital expenditures—capex, the money that goes into servers, real estate, power connections and the like—are climbing. Amazon has already signaled a sizable jump for 2026.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry looked to preempt complaints about rising utility costs, telling a Shreveport crowd the project “is not going to cost the people of Louisiana any more on their utility rates.” Amazon’s Roger Wehner added that cooling water use would be needed “less than 13% of the year.” Landry also put a number on the company’s local investment—$400 million earmarked for public water systems. New Orleans CityBusiness
Amazon described its northwest Louisiana campuses as key to a larger push to boost cloud computing and roll out new tech. The company’s chief global affairs and legal officer, David Zapolsky, stated they’re “making a long-term commitment” to Louisiana. Amazon also highlighted plans for investments in local water projects and community initiatives, part of its data center expansion. Amazon News
Louisiana’s economic development agency expects construction to kick off within weeks, eyeing phased operations rolling out across several years. The state says Stack Infrastructure is involved, and the project may tap into multiple incentives—among them, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program and LED FastStart.
California’s antitrust battle with the company escalated again as Attorney General Rob Bonta requested a preliminary injunction. He’s aiming to halt what state officials call tactics that keep merchants from listing lower prices on other sites—a strategy allegedly linked to the coveted Amazon “Buy Box,” the sales-driving feature at the heart of the dispute. Reuters
Amazon faced scrutiny in Europe as well. Italy’s privacy regulator told Amazon Italia Logistica to halt its use of specific personal data from over 1,800 warehouse employees, highlighting information such as medical records and details on union or strike participation. The watchdog also flagged worries about surveillance cameras positioned close to restrooms and break zones.
Amazon Web Services is pushing further into generative AI, with fresh product updates this week. In its latest roundup, AWS spotlighted a new Claude Sonnet 4.6 model now in Amazon Bedrock, along with Kiro’s rollout to AWS GovCloud regions. Several other releases also made the list.
Tuesday’s session saw a bounce in U.S. stocks, the Nasdaq tacking on roughly 1.1% as the markets shook off Monday’s steep losses. Investors sidestepped some of the newest AI scare stories and maneuvered around fresh tariff news.
Still, the data-center boom brings no shortage of risks. Utilities are already facing surging electricity demand tied to AI and data centers, driving up spending on new generation as well as grid improvements. Delays or unexpected costs in building out power and water infrastructure can drag out projects and squeeze returns.
Investors are now more focused on the timing—specifically, when Louisiana’s campuses flip the switch and bring in customers—than the headline figures. Attention is also on whether AWS’s expansion pace will back up the stepped-up spending. Amazon’s set to announce earnings April 30, per Yahoo Finance’s calendar, while the next U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index lands March 13.
