A view of Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, on April 16, 2024.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu | Getty Images
Google announced in its 2024 Environmental Report on Tuesday that the company's emissions had jumped nearly 50% compared to 2019, marking a major setback for its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030.
Google's emissions also increased 13% year-on-year in 2023, according to the report.
The company attributed the surge in emissions to rising data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions due to rapid advances in and demand for artificial intelligence. The report noted that the company's total data center electricity consumption will grow 17% in 2023.
The impact of AI on electricity demand is well documented: As previously reported by CNBC, electricity demand is expected to grow by as much as 20% by 2030, with AI data centers alone expected to add roughly 323 terawatt-hours of electricity demand in the U.S.
Renewable energy will likely play a key role in meeting AI's energy needs, but analysts say immediate adoption is difficult due to factors such as the time it takes to build the transmission lines that would transport the resources to data centers, Wells Fargo analyst Roger Reed previously told CNBC.
Google said in the report that its data centers are 1.8 times more energy efficient than typical data centers, and added that the company remains focused on mitigating the environmental impact of AI through model optimization, efficient infrastructure, and reduced emissions.
Google isn't the only big tech company facing rising emissions from AI demands: Microsoft reported in May that its total carbon emissions had increased by nearly 30% since 2020, mainly due to data center construction.
