AI brings soaring emissions for Google and Microsoft, a major contributor to climate change
Summary
Reports on the increase in greenhouse gas emissions for Google and Microsoft driven by the energy demands of artificial intelligence and data center expansion.
Key quotes
One query to ChatGPT uses approximately as much electricity as could light one light bulb for about 20 minutes
Google said its greenhouse gas emissions rose last year by 48% since 2019.
Microsoft said its emissions grew by 29% since 2020 due to the construction of more datacenters that are "designed and optimized to support AI workloads."
The article details the conflict between tech companies’ sustainability goals and the high electricity requirements of generative AI. It highlights how AI infrastructure may delay the decommissioning of coal plants.