Google’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 were 48% higher than in 2019, according to its latest environmental report. The tech giant attributes this increase to the growing energy demands of its data centres, driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI).

AI-powered services require significantly more computing power—and thus electricity—than standard online activities, leading to concerns about the technology’s environmental impact. For example, a generative AI system like ChatGPT may use about 33 times more energy than machines running task-specific software, according to a recent study.

Google aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2030 but it admits that “as we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging.”

Data centres are vast collections of computer servers, and AI requires an extensive number of these servers. Google’s report highlights significant global disparities in the environmental impacts of its data centres. Most centres in Europe and the Americas source the majority of their energy from carbon-free sources, unlike those in the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, which rely much less on carbon-free energy.

Overall, about two-thirds of Google’s energy comes from carbon-free sources.

“If you actually go into data centre, it’s really hot and really noisy,” says Tom Jackson, professor of information and knowledge management at Loughborough University.

“People don’t realise everything they’re storing in the cloud is having an impact on their digital carbon footprint,” he says.

Professor Jackson, who leads the Digital Decarbonisation Design Group, focuses on measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of data usage.

“Data providers have to work closely with large organisations to help them move away from storing so much of their dark data,” he says.

He points out that “dark data”—data collected but rarely or never used—still consumes substantial energy just by being stored.

“On average, 65% of the data an organisation stores is dark data,” says Prof Jackson.

While he commends Google’s net-zero target for 2030, he acknowledges it will be “really tough” to achieve.

The escalating energy and water usage of AI has led to warnings, especially as the sector is expected to grow rapidly. In March, the head of the UK’s National Grid predicted a six-fold increase in demand over the next decade due to AI and quantum computing.

However, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently downplayed AI’s environmental impact. Speaking in London last week, he suggested AI would increase electricity demand by between 2% and 6%.

“The question is, will AI accelerate a more than 6 per cent reduction? And the answer is: certainly,” he said, as reported by the Financial Times.

——————————————————————————

At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about rewilding the UK to stop the decline in our wildlife.

Donate now and join in the solution!