
25/05/2025
Big Tech’s AI Boom Risks Undermining Its Climate Pledges
Despite bold commitments to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are now facing mounting scrutiny over their skyrocketing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence.
The rapid development and deployment of AI tools—particularly large language models and generative systems—require enormous computing power and data center capacity. According to research, training a single large AI model can emit as much CO₂ as five cars over their entire lifetime. With AI usage expanding exponentially, this raises questions about whether tech giants can meet their sustainability goals.
While companies claim they will offset emissions through renewable energy and carbon removal, experts warn that AI growth is outpacing clean energy investments. Google's data center electricity use rose 20% in 2023, while Microsoft’s AI push contributed to a 29% jump in emissions.
“There’s a real risk that AI becomes a climate liability, not an innovation driver,” says a Greenpeace analyst. The contradiction is stark: the same firms promoting AI as humanity’s next great leap forward may also be fueling a digital carbon footprint that threatens to undercut their environmental promises.
Without urgent action, AI could derail Big Tech’s climate credibility.