Amazon has changed its process to allow it to own some Nvidia GB300 racks before AWS data centers receive them, Business Insider reported, as power constraints slow deployment at some sites.
The procedure moves acquisition ahead of delivery, according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider. AWS had generally taken ownership once equipment reached a data center, the documents showed. An August forecast put that month’s GB300 rack deliveries at about $5 billion and projected roughly $3 billion per month afterward. Those were estimates, not completed delivery totals; earlier EconoTimes coverage of the August forecast reported the same projections.
People familiar with the effort told Business Insider that electrical capacity lagged available rack space at some AWS facilities. Finished equipment could be staged close to deployment sites while those locations awaited sufficient power. An Amazon spokesperson called staging hardware near deployment sites “best business practice.” The spokesperson disputed the broader inference that Amazon as a whole lacked a plan to install the racks, after a reported email indicated that at least one AWS team lacked a clear route for getting them into data centers.
The timing comes amid substantial investment. Amazon spent $96.3 billion on capital projects in the first half of 2026, while operating cash flow totaled $71.4 billion. The spending also covered fulfillment capacity and infrastructure beyond AWS. For the 12 months through June 30, Amazon reported free cash flow of negative $7.6 billion, compared with positive $18.2 billion in the year-earlier period; the company attributed the reversal to higher purchases of property and equipment, largely reflecting AI investment.
AWS generated $42.2 billion in second-quarter sales, up 37% from a year earlier. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has compared the current investment cycle with AWS’s first major growth wave.
AWS and Nvidia announced Aug. 26 that they plan to deploy 2 million additional Nvidia GPUs across AWS infrastructure in 2027 and 2028.
