Google’s Green Goals Hit By AI’s Soaring Energy Demands

Google’s carbon emissions have risen 51% since 2019, mainly due to the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence, The Guardian reported.

Despite investments in clean energy and carbon removal, Google hasn’t been able to cut scope 3 emissions—indirect emissions from its supply chain. These have increased as more data centres are built to support AI.

Electricity use jumped 27% in the past year. Google is struggling to go green fast enough to match its rising energy needs.

Data centres powering AI models like Gemini and GPT-4 are heavy energy users. Their electricity use could double by 2026 to match Japan’s demand, and by 2030, AI may push them to consume 4.5% of global power.

The report also warns that AI could cause sudden, unpredictable spikes in energy use, making future demand harder to manage.