AI: Why Google’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Have Increased 48% in Five Years

The tech giant has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by the end of the decade. But as the company enters the race for artificial intelligence, the tech giant has admitted that reducing energy consumption from current levels “could be a challenge”.

Google has admitted that its greenhouse gas emissions have risen 48% over the past five years, largely due to artificial intelligence, in a move that has thrown the company’s climate goals into disarray.

AI systems require enormous amounts of computing power, putting a huge strain on the tech giant’s data centers around the world.

In its latest environmental report, Google warns that reducing these emissions “can be challenging,” especially when building new infrastructure.

Earlier this year, the company announced that it was investing £788 million in the UK to build a brand new data centre in direct response to growing demand for KI.

But all of this comes as Google’s self-proclaimed goal of achieving net-zero emissions by the end of the decade looms closer.

There is growing concern about the impact AI could have on climate change as AI becomes increasingly popular.

A recent study by the International Energy Agency found that data center electricity consumption could double between 2022 and 2026.

While Google’s figures show that most data centers in Europe and the Americas get the majority of their energy from carbon-free sources, this is not always the case.

This is because locations in the Middle East, Asia and Australia use much less energy from cleaner sources.

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Google claims it is “actively working” on the “significant challenges” it faces – and that some initiatives rolled out to reduce emissions may not have immediate benefits.

The report continues: “While we have promoted clean energy in many of the networks where we operate, there are still some regions that are difficult to decarbonise, such as Asia Pacific, where CFE (carbon free energy) is not readily available.

“In addition, we often see longer lead times between initial investment and construction of clean energy projects and the resulting greenhouse gas reductions.”

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Google then argued that AI could ultimately help the world achieve key climate goals and even improve weather forecasting – a sentiment shared by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

But Lisa Sachs of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment says Google needs to do more to partner with cleaner companies and invest in the power grid.

“The reality is that we are still far behind in what we can do with the technology and the resources we have to advance the transition,” she said.

And while Ms Sachs praised Google for its honesty, she warned that intensive conversations were needed so that “things don’t get a lot worse before they get better”.

Amanda Smith, a senior scientist at the climate nonprofit Project Drawdown, added that AI must be deployed responsibly, and only if the resulting energy consumption benefits society.