Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares are trading higher on Thursday as the firm is accelerating its AI and cloud expansion with a fresh $12 billion Mississippi investment while balancing chip competition and partnerships.

On Thursday, the tech giant announced plans to invest an additional $12 billion in central Mississippi, continuing its expansion in the state.

According to Benzinga Pro, AMZN stock has gained over 21% in the past year. Investors can gain exposure to the stock via Global X PureCap MSCI Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSE:GXPD).

What Happened?

The latest announcement includes a planned $11 billion expansion of the company's existing data center operations in Madison County, a project that will create 700 new jobs.

The announcement also includes a new planned $1 billion project in Clinton that will create 100 jobs. With these investments, Amazon's total planned capital investment in the state is $25 billion, and the company expects to create more than 2,000 jobs.

The Madison County expansion builds on Amazon's 2024 announcement of plans to invest at least $10 billion and create 1,000 direct jobs to establish data center campuses in the county. The Clinton project, which retrofits the former Delphi Corporation plant, is Amazon's first location in the city.

In November 2025, Amazon also announced a planned $3 billion project in Vicksburg that is creating at least 200 high-paying, full-time positions and further expanding the company's presence in central Mississippi.

Today's announcement further strengthens investments in generative AI and high-tech cloud infrastructure. These efforts reflect Amazon's ongoing commitment to supporting U.S. leadership in AI and helping customers across all industries harness AI-driven solutions to transform operations and accelerate innovation.

Chip Strategy Balance

Meanwhile, Amazon is balancing competition and collaboration in the chip space. AWS CEO Matt Garman said the company builds in-house chips like Trainium and Graviton.

At the same time, it maintains strong partnerships with Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), and Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC).

He added that AWS remains a major customer of these companies because clients demand access to multiple hardware options, reinforcing a strategy that balances competition with collaboration.

AMZN Price Action: Amazon.com shares were up 4.60% at $231.42 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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