The company published its Environmental Report, which evaluates the progress made towards its environmental sustainability strategy and goals.
The report noted that Google’s total greenhouse gas emissions increased by 13 percent annually through 2023.
The report stated that Google’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 48 percent last year compared to 2019, and that this increase was due to the increase in energy consumption and supply chain emissions in data centers.
“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increased energy demands due to increasing AI computational intensity and emissions associated with expected increases in our technical infrastructure investments,” the report said.
The report noted that electricity consumption at Google’s data centers increased by 17 percent last year, and that estimating the future environmental impact of artificial intelligence is complex.
