Amazon Taps Diamond Company De Beers To Gain Edge In Cloud War Versus Microsoft, Google

Amazon.Com, Inc AMZN tapped a De Beers Group division to grow artificial diamonds to help revolutionize computer networks.
De Beers’s Element Six division will work on the project with Amazon Web Services’ Center for Quantum Networking, a unit seeking next-generation ways to transmit data securely over longer distances, Bloomberg reports.
Quantum networking uses subatomic matter to deliver data in a way that goes beyond today’s fiber-optic systems. The diamonds would be part of a component that lets the data travel farther without breaking down.
Conventional signal repeaters, known as qubits, cannot handle information in this form. Ultimately, this equipment could wind up in networks used by AWS, gaining an edge over rivals Microsoft Corp MSFT and Alphabet Inc’s GOOG GOOGL Google.
The widespread use of quantum networking would require massive components, including specialized diamonds. Element Six recently opened a plant in Oregon capable of producing up to 2 million units of such a component per year using a chemical vapor deposition technique, Bloomberg writes.
Price Action: AMZN shares traded lower by 2.66% at $101.99 on the last check Wednesday.