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Google aims to be net-zero emissions by 2030, but its investments in AI are making that environmental goal harder.
Google, 2024 Environmental Report The company made the announcement on Tuesday, saying its greenhouse gas emissions had increased by about 50% over the four-year period. In 2023, the company’s emissions will be 14.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 13% increase from 2022 and a 48% increase from 2019.
Energy consumed in data centers and Google’s supply chain contributed the largest amount to the increase.
“As AI is further integrated into products, increased AI computing intensity could increase energy demands and make it harder to reduce emissions,” Google wrote.
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The company also expects increased investment in the technological infrastructure needed for AI to drive up emissions even further.
A sign outside Google’s campus in Mountain View, California. Photo by Mike Kai Chen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
AI is becoming more complex Net Zero Goal Three years ago, Google set a goal to balance its emissions and removals until it was net-zero.
Google acknowledges this challenge multiple times in its environmental reports, saying that the future environmental impacts of AI are “complex and difficult to predict.”
At the same time, Google also highlighted the potential of AI to combat climate change in its report, saying it plans to Boston Consulting Group Survey They claim that AI can reduce overall emissions by 5 to 10 percent.
“AI has a critical role to play in accelerating mitigation, supporting adaptation, and building foundational capabilities for the transition to a low-carbon future,” Google writes.
Google has made several AI products publicly available, including an overview of AI in search and AI integrations with Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets.
Related: Google adds Gemini AI to Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive
The tech giant isn’t the only one feeling the energy downside of AI: Microsoft, which has also committed to becoming net-zero by 2030, also is. report In May, it predicted that emissions would increase by 30% between 2020 and 2023.