UN Agency: Big Tech’s Emissions Soared by 150% Amid AI Expansion
Tech giants' indirect emissions rose 150% in three years as AI expands, UN agency says
A United Nations agency reported that the indirect carbon emissions of major tech companies surged by 150% over the past three years due to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI).
A new study revealed that the indirect carbon emissions from operations at four leading AI-focused tech firms rose by an average of 150% between 2020 and 2023, largely driven by the soaring energy demands of data centers.
The report, issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency specializing in digital technology, highlighted that the enormous amounts of energy required to operate data centers have significantly increased indirect emissions on a global scale.
Indirect emissions include those resulting from the electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by companies.
According to the report, Amazon recorded the highest operational carbon emission growth at 182% in 2023 compared to 2020, followed by Microsoft at 155%, Meta at 145%, and Alphabet—the parent company of Google—at 138%.
The ITU tracked greenhouse gas emissions from 200 leading digital companies between 2020 and 2023.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, pointed to its sustainability report, stating it is working to reduce emissions, energy use, and water consumption across its data centers.
Amazon reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability through investments in carbon-free energy projects, including nuclear and renewable energy sources.
Microsoft, in its own sustainability report, highlighted that it doubled energy efficiency last year and shifted toward liquid cooling designs at the chip level, replacing traditional cooling systems to lower power consumption in its data centers.
Other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The report also projected that the carbon footprint of highly emissive AI systems could reach up to 102.6 million tons of CO₂ equivalent annually.
Data centers powering AI development are also expected to place further pressure on existing energy infrastructure.
“The rapid growth of AI is driving a sharp increase in global electricity demand,” the report stated, noting that electricity usage by data centers is rising four times faster than the overall increase in global electricity consumption.
Despite a growing number of digital companies setting emission reduction targets, the report concluded that these ambitions have yet to fully translate into measurable emission cuts.
