CommoditiesFirst new American output in years facilitated by tech from Rio Tinto ventureCopper that has been extracted and shaped into smaller disks. (Photo by Kosuke Shimizu)KOSUKE SHIMIZUMay 15, 2026 22:15 JSTTUCSON, Arizona -- As American tech companies scramble to secure copper for data centers amid the artificial intelligence boom, Amazon.com is going right to the source, taking the unusual step of buying directly from a mine in the southwestern U.S.