Google’s emissions increased by 13% due to AI energy consumption

Google’s emissions rose 13% last year despite the tech giant’s goals of reaching net zero emissions by the end of the decade as artificial intelligence (AI) drives a rise in energy consumption.

“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increasing energy demands arising from increased AI computing intensity and emissions associated with expected increases in our investment in technical infrastructure,” wrote Google in its annual report. environmental report.

The company aims to halve its total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and invest in carbon removal solutions to neutralize remaining emissions.

However, since the base year of 2019, Google’s emissions have increased by 48 percent, going from the equivalent of 9.7 million tons of carbon dioxide to 14.3 million tons, according to the report released Tuesday. .

Google’s data center electricity consumption grew 17% last year to more than 24 terawatt hours, translating to about 7% to 10% of global data center electricity consumption.

“AI is at an inflection point and many factors will influence its ultimate impact – including the extent of AI adoption, our ability to mitigate its footprint, and the pace of continued innovation and efficiency,” Google noted in the report.

“While we remain optimistic about AI’s potential to drive positive change, we are also clear about its potential environmental impact and the collaborative effort required to navigate this evolving landscape,” he added.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story