Google's greenhouse gas emissions increase to meet AI's energy needs

San Francisco, United States:

Google, despite its goal of reaching net zero emissions, is emitting more greenhouse gases than before as it powers the data centers needed to support artificial intelligence, the company said.

Google’s climate change-related emissions have increased 48% over the past five years, running counter to its stated goal of becoming carbon neutral for the good of the planet, according to an annual environmental report released Tuesday.

Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 increased by 13% compared to the previous year, mainly due to increased energy consumption by data centers and their supply chain, the report said.

The increase came even as Google has stepped up its use of clean energy from solar and wind.

“Despite the progress we are making, we face significant challenges that we are actively working on,” Kate Brandt, chief sustainability officer, and Benedict Gomes, senior vice president, said in the report.

“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may prove challenging due to the increasing demand for energy from the increased computational intensity of AI and the emissions associated with expected increases in our investments in technical infrastructure.”

Google isn’t alone in facing the challenge of powering energy-hungry AI data centers while trying to curb the creation of climate-altering greenhouse gases.

Microsoft said in its recent sustainability report that its greenhouse gas emissions increased by 29% last year compared to 2020, as it continues “to invest in the infrastructure needed to advance new technologies.”

Microsoft and Google have been leading the AI race since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late 2022.

AI has been a recurring theme for rivals in terms of blockbuster earnings performance, quarter after quarter.

At the same time, Google and Microsoft have both committed to becoming carbon neutral by the end of the decade.

Microsoft has also set a goal of being carbon negative, removing climate-damaging gases from the air, by 2050.

Amazon, also an AI competitor with its cloud computing division AWS, has said it aims to be carbon neutral by 2040.

“A sustainable future requires systems change, strong government policies and new technologies,” Google said in its report.

“We are committed to collaborating and playing our part, every step of the way.”

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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