The race for AI complicates the climate goals of big tech companies

Google and Amazon announced a sharp increase in their greenhouse gas emissions due to the frenzied construction of infrastructure for the development of artificial intelligence.

Big tech companies’ pledges of “clean energy,” net-zero emissions, and commitments set for 2030 or 2040 found an unexpected brake in artificial intelligence (AI). The dizzying race to develop this technology requires so much infrastructure and electricity consumption that balancing the climate balance with the promises made just a few years ago became an unlikely goal to achieve. The climate goals of tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are being compromised by the frantic construction of infrastructure for the development of artificial intelligence.

From zero emissions to “ambitious projects”
In their recent annual sustainability reports, Google and Amazon showed a skyrocketing greenhouse gas emissions; a rebound driven directly by the rise of AI data centers, rising electricity consumption and, in the case of the e-commerce giant, the fuel used for its distribution networks. Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all of its operations with carbon-free electricity, such as wind or solar power, and fully mitigate its pollution footprint. According to its latest sustainability report, the company’s total emissions soared 82% since 2019, registering an 18% increase in the last year alone, compromising its previous promise to cut its emissions in half by the end of the decade.

Continue reading in ElObservador