Reports Financial Times.
Total emissions for 2023 are projected to be 14.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This represents a 13 percent increase from last year, and a massive 48 percent increase since 2019. Emissions were just under 10 million tonnes then.
Google itself says the jump in emissions highlights the challenges of reducing emissions while investing massive amounts in AI models and related infrastructure. The future environmental impact of AI is “complex and difficult to predict.”
“We expect emissions to continue to increase before eventually declining again,” says Kate Brandt, Google’s chief sustainability officer.
Brandt says Google is working hard to reduce emissions, including using more green energy. The company has committed to achieving net zero emissions across its entire operations by 2030. However, Brandt notes that goal is “very ambitious.”
Energy-related emissions, which mainly account for electricity consumption by data centers, accounted for a quarter of total emissions after increasing 37 percent in one year. Emissions from Google’s supply chain increased 8 percent, but accounted for three-quarters of emissions.
Microsoft also admitted that its emissions have increased by a third in four years, following major investments related to artificial intelligence.
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