Google’s Carbon Emissions Surge 51% Since 2019: The Impact of AI

Google’s carbon emissions have surged by 51% since 2019, largely driven by scope 3 emissions linked to the energy demands of AI operations. Concurrently, the company’s electricity consumption has increased by 27% year-on-year, attributed to the rising energy needs of data centers crucial for AI models like Gemini and GPT-4. The International Energy Agency predicts that data centers’ energy consumption could double by 2026. Research indicates that by 2030, AI may account for 4.5% of global electricity usage, complicating future energy demand and emissions forecasting. Google’s attempts to transition to low-carbon electricity have been hindered by slow progress in new technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Despite these challenges, the company has signed over 170 agreements to procure over 22 gigawatts of clean energy and aims to utilize its AI products to help reduce carbon emissions collectively by 1 gigaton annually by 2030.

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