Google cited the role of AI in contributing to its carbon pollution growth last year, which poses a challenge to the company's goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The company acknowledged in its annual sustainability report, released Tuesday, July 2, that reaching net-zero emissions by 2030 is an incredibly ambitious goal and they are aware of the challenges it presents.
Google Grapples with AI's Carbon Emissions Impact
Amid an AI-driven overhaul to core products like its search engine and Google Workspace, the company experienced a 13 percent increase in emissions between 2022 and 2023. According to the data, emissions have increased by 48 percent compared to the baseline year of 2019.
The company explained that the rise in emissions was due to a surge in data center energy usage and supply chain emissions, which were driven by the growing demand for and advancements in artificial intelligence.
According to the report, the company experienced a 17% increase in total data center electricity consumption in 2023.
The influence of AI on electricity consumption has been extensively documented. According to previous reports by CNBC, there is a projected increase in electricity demand of up to 20% by 2030.
This growth is largely attributed to the anticipated addition of approximately 323 terawatt hours of electricity demand in the US from AI data centers.
Other major tech companies have also experienced increased emissions as a result of the growing demand for AI. In May, Microsoft announced an increase of nearly 30% in its total carbon emissions since 2020, mainly attributed to the construction of data centers.
AI-Driven Data Centers on Clean Electricity Shift and Climate Change
According to some experts, the rapid growth of data centers that support AI poses a significant threat to the shift towards clean electricity, which is crucial for combating climate change.
This is due to the impact of a new data center on power plants that rely on fossil fuels. It can either postpone the closure of an existing plant or even lead to the construction of a new one.
Data centers are known for their high energy consumption and reliance on infrastructure such as high-voltage transmission lines and water cooling systems. They can be quite loud.
They are frequently constructed in areas with the lowest electricity costs, rather than in regions where wind and solar power are prominent sources of energy.
According to the International Energy Agency, the demand for electricity in global data centers and AI is projected to double by 2026.
The proliferation of data centres poses a challenge to the sustainability plans of other major tech companies. In May, Microsoft reported that its emissions grew 29 percent above its 2020 baseline.
Tech companies argue that although AI is contributing to climate change, it is also playing a role in addressing it, Al Jazeera reported.
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