Google misses climate targets as AI drives 250% electricity increase
Technology
Google's latest environmental report, revealed in a July 3 article, shows the company missed its climate targets, mainly because electricity demand has jumped 250% since 2019.
The big culprit? Rapid growth in AI-powered services like Cloud, Search, and YouTube, which also pushed up greenhouse gas emissions.
Google electricity use up 37%
Between 2024 and 2025 alone, Google's electricity use soared by 37%, and emissions rose by 18%, mostly from building new AI hardware.
The company admits it's struggling to balance expanding AI with environmental goals, even exploring wild ideas like space-based data centers.
Despite these challenges, Google still calls AI a "powerful tool for global climate action" and points to its economic benefits.