Google greenhouse gas emissions grow as it powers AI

San Francisco: Google, despite its goal of achieving net zero emissions, is pumping out more greenhouse gas than before as it powers data centers need...

San Francisco: Google, despite its goal of achieving net-zero emissions, is pumping out more greenhouse gas than before as it powers data centers needed to support artificial intelligence, the company said.

Google's climate-changing emissions have increased 48 percent in the past five years, at odds with a touted goal of becoming carbon neutral for the sake of the planet, according to an annual environmental report released on Tuesday.

Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 were 13 percent higher than they were the prior year, primarily driven by increased data center energy consumption and its supply chain, the report stated.

The increase came even though Google has been ramping up use of solar and wind generated clean energy.

"In spite of the progress we're making, we face significant challenges that we're actively working through," chief sustainability officer Kate Brandt and senior vice president Benedict Gomes said in the report.