Amid the AI ​​boom, Google’s emissions grew by half

Google reported that since 2019, its emissions have grown by 48 percent, a huge increase that reflects the large amounts of energy used by artificial intelligence.

AI models perform a large number of calculations in a short time, overloading computers and increasing energy consumption. “As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increased energy demand,” Google said in its statement. report, released Tuesday. The increase in emissions further takes the technology giant further away from its ambitious goal to zero carbon footprint by 2030.

Google is not alone. Microsoft, which is also integrating AI into its products, has seen its emissions increase 30 percent since 2020. It also aims to achieve net-zero emissions by the end of this decade.

In its report, Google said it is adopting practices that could drastically reduce the energy required to train an AI model. It also said it is using AI to combat climate change in three main ways: guiding drivers along more routes with low fuel consumption; helping city engineers adjust traffic light timing to speed up traffic flow; and by providing advanced flood warnings for people in more than 80 countries.

Still, AI’s climate impact is considerable. Google and Microsoft now have bigger carbon footprints than Slovenia.

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As the use of AI increases, so does the energy and water it requires