Energy efficiency- Hardware and software innovations that help reduce energy needs at the component and sub-component level. Prioritization will be given to sensors (e.g., presence/activity detection), microphones (e.g., wake word detection), networking equipment (e.g., Wi-Fi), and other components impacting overall power consumption. We will also pursue technologies that reduce energy needs on energy hungry components, primarily displays, cameras, and speakers.
Displays- Displays are a focus area due to their high energy consumption, both during operations as well as manufacturing, and the complexity of their design. We will pursue technologies that help decarbonize both displays and the components that support them, and look for new, disruptive display technologies that could offer significant improvements over existing solutions.
Batteries- We will pursue innovations designed to increase recycled content, promote efficiency, extend battery life, and reduce manufacturing footprint. We will evaluate new battery chemistries and look for opportunities to drive toward commonality across the Amazon product portfolio.
Low Carbon Materials- Low carbon materials offer a unique opportunity to both offset the carbon producing components they replace, as well as offer a ‘carbon budget’ to help offset components that are more difficult to decarbonize. These materials can help facilitate adoption of other climate technologies that have yet to reach cost parity. Examples include carbon-captured polyoxymethylene (CPOM), bioplastics, recycled carbon fiber, and bio-based polymers, recycled metals, and recycled alloys.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)- AI and machine learning (ML) can both accelerate the development and adoption of existing solutions, as well as establish new levers that do not exist today by unlocking new pathways for Amazon to optimize product designs, extend device lifespans, and enable more energy-efficient product use by customers. We will pursue AI technologies as a separate focus across all of Amazon devices and services, while also placing an emphasis on AI as an area of interest as it applies to other focus areas (e.g., energy efficiency, displays, etc.).
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)- PCBs are the single hardware component present in every product we manufacture. Examples include biodegradable PCBs where chips can be recycled/reused and additive manufacturing processes that reduce waste.
Circularity- We are interested in technologies that facilitate Amazon's shift towards closed-loop materials management and supporting the transition to a more circular economy for its devices and packaging such as product lifetime expansion, recyclability, and component reuse.
Decarbonization Wildcard- Although the above are our primary focus areas, we are open to reviewing submissions for other consumer electronics decarbonization innovations.
