Big Tech Hides Artificial Intelligence’s True Carbon Footprint

The tech giants leading the AI race have found a way to hide the climate impact of their growing electricity consumption

Tech companies’ relentless push toward artificial intelligence (AI) is taking an undisclosed toll on the planet.
Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms are hiding their real carbon footprints, buying credits tied to electricity use to wipe millions of tons of emissions off their carbon balances.

Recently, Microsoft reported that its emissions are now 30% higher than in 2020, when it set itself the goal of being carbon negative.
Emissions from other tech companies are also rising.
However, Microsoft and other AI leaders insist that the increase is due to the carbon-intensive materials used to build data centers — cement, steel, and microchips — and not the massive amount of energy required by AI.
They say that most or all of the energy comes from zero-carbon sources, such as solar and wind.

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