As the company said in its own annual sustainability report on Tuesday, its CO2 emissions were 14.3 million tonnes last year. This is an increase of 13 percent year-on-year. According to Google, the sharp increase in greenhouse gas emissions is primarily due to the increased energy consumption of its data centers related to AI applications. AI’s “training” in particular requires a lot of energy.
CO2 emissions increased despite the company’s increased use of wind and solar power. Additionally, to meet the increasing demand for AI, additional technical infrastructure is required, such as new data centers.
Demand for electricity is increasing
The electricity consumption of Google’s data centers alone will increase by 17 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Google estimates that its data centers accounted for up to 10 percent of global data center power consumption last year. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the total electricity consumption of data centers will double to 1,000 TWh (terawatt hours) in 2022 compared to 2026, equivalent to the electricity needs of Japan.
Google is not alone in this problem: Microsoft’s technology group also announced in its environmental report that last year’s CO2 emissions were 29 percent higher than in 2020. This is also due to increasing investments in infrastructure required for new technologies.
Ambitious plans
Google and Microsoft are pioneers in the field of AI. Both companies want to be climate-neutral by the end of the decade and are signing contracts with renewable energy providers to achieve this. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in London last week that big tech companies are “seriously willing” to use clean energy sources “to say they’re using green energy.” He also said that AI could help save electricity in the future.
Alternative nuclear power
Until then, some IT giants rely not only on wind and solar power, but also nuclear power, another source of CO2-neutral electricity. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the owners of one-third of America’s nuclear power plants are in talks with tech companies. Market leader Constellation Energy is currently in talks with Amazon Web Services to supply nuclear power directly from a nuclear power plant on the East Coast. An Amazon subsidiary bought a nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania this spring, according to the newspaper.
It also draws criticism that IT giants tap into existing capabilities instead of looking for new sources of power. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pennsylvania’s Consumer Protection Commissioner Patrick Cicero is concerned about “large energy consumers” putting themselves “in the lead” among electricity providers. The US has regional energy surpluses – but not everywhere.
Undesirable side effects
If existing electricity sources are diverted, this could raise prices for other customers and delay emissions reduction goals: According to the paper, it could lead to greater reliance on natural gas. As an alternative to diverted nuclear power, natural gas-fired power plants have the advantage of being able to provide electricity 24 hours a day, unlike wind and solar systems.
A nearby nuclear power plant and an exclusive power supply agreement are now considered a location advantage for new data centers in the US. The data centers’ appetite for electricity is a renaissance of sorts for the nuclear industry, which has found itself in a tough market in the U.S. in recent years competing with wind and solar power. Constellation Energy’s share price has risen 70 percent this year, and Vistra, another power market heavyweight, has more than doubled.
