🕒 Last updated on July 3, 2025
AI Fuels Massive Energy Surge
Google’s carbon emissions have jumped by 51% since 2019. The company says artificial intelligence is making it harder to stay green. Even though Google has invested in clean energy and new technology to cut emissions, it still cannot reduce pollution from its supply chain.
A big reason for this is the growing number of data centers. These buildings house thousands of computers that run tools like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These tools need huge amounts of electricity to work. As AI grows, so does the power needed to keep it running.
In 2024 alone, Google’s electricity use rose by 27%. That’s a big jump in just one year. The company struggles to balance its green goals with the energy demand of AI.
Google’s Data Centres Drive Power Demand
Data centers play a key role in training and running AI models. These centers require nonstop electricity to keep working. Experts warn that total data center energy use may double by 2026. It could reach the same level as Japan’s entire electricity demand.
Research also says data centers may use 4.5% of all global electricity by 2030. AI’s rapid growth could cause sudden spikes in energy needs. This kind of change makes it hard to plan for future emissions.
Some governments and experts want tech firms to report how much energy their data centers use. The public wants more transparency as the power needs keep growing.
Scope 3 Emissions Are the Biggest Problem
Google breaks its pollution into categories. The hardest one to manage is called scope 3. This includes emissions from making products, buying services, and running the global supply chain. In 2024, these scope 3 emissions jumped by 22%.
Overall, Google released 11.5 million tons of carbon-equivalent gases in 2024. That’s 11% more than the year before. Most of this increase came from supply chain activities, not direct operations. This makes it harder for Google to control or cut these emissions quickly.
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The company says the lack of new clean power sources adds to the problem. Some options, like small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced geothermal energy, are not ready. These clean energy technologies are still too costly and face delays.
Google hoped that SMRs would help power data-heavy areas. But delays in development have slowed progress. Rules and lack of support also make things worse.
Google Expands Clean Energy Deals and Cuts Plastic Use
Despite the emissions increase, Google is still making efforts to go green. Since 2010, the company has signed over 170 clean energy deals. These deals cover more than 22 gigawatts of power. In 2024 alone, 25 of these projects went live. They added 2.5 gigawatts of clean power to Google’s network.
Also in 2024, Google signed deals for 8 gigawatts of new clean energy. That made it the company’s biggest year ever for clean energy contracts.
On a positive note, Google hit one of its targets early. It has now removed all plastic packaging from its new products. This goal was set for the end of 2025 but was met a year ahead.
Finally, Google believes AI might help the environment in some areas. For example, AI can help cities use less power and reduce waste. It can also map buildings to find the best spots for solar panels. The goal is to help cut one billion tons of carbon emissions per year by 2030 through these efforts.
But for now, the company admits the emissions it creates are still growing—largely because AI needs so much power.