Google’s emissions have jumped by nearly half in five years as AI surges (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Google (NASDAQ:GOG) (NASDAQ:GoogleCarbon emissions have increased by about 50% in the past five years due to increased data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions caused by the power demands of AI systems, the company said. A week in Annual Environmental Report.

Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) said its emissions rose to 14.3 million metric tons of carbon equivalent in 2023, up 48% from its 2019 baseline and up 13% from the previous year, which appears to be Threatens its commitment to reach “net zero” By 2030.

The company said its energy-related emissions in 2023, which come primarily from electricity consumption in data centers, rose 37% year-over-year and generally account for 25% of its total greenhouse gas emissions.

The impact of AI on electricity demand is well documented, with electricity demand expected to grow by as much as 20% by 2030, with AI data centers alone expected to add an estimated 323 terawatt hours of electricity demand in the United States, CNBC reported.

Analysts at Bernstein recently said that AI would “double the growth rate of U.S. electricity demand, and total consumption could exceed current supply in the next two years.”

Renewable energy sources are expected to play a significant role in meeting AI-related energy demands, but Wells Fargo analyst Roger Reed told CNBC that Early implementation will be difficult. Due to factors such as the time required to build power lines that transport resources to data centers.

But Google isn’t the only tech company to acknowledge that emissions are rising due to demand for AI. Microsoft said in May that its emissions had risen by about a third since 2020, largely due to the construction of data centers.

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