A new report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reveals a 150% surge in greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s top 200 digital companies between 2020 and 2023, driven by the booming demand for AI and cloud computing.
The emissions, encompassing both direct operations and purchased energy, highlight the environmental toll of rapid technological advancements.
The ITU attributes this sharp rise to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and the growing reliance on energy-intensive digital services. “AI and digital innovations are pushing energy consumption and global emissions to new heights,” said ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
Unregulated, top-emitting AI systems could generate 102.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, the report warns.
The lack of mandatory standards for disclosing AI-related emissions complicates tracking their impact, though company reports indicate a clear uptick in operational emissions among firms heavily invested in AI. The surge in data center electricity demand, up 12% annually since 2017, mirrors this trend.
In 2023, data centers consumed 415 terawatt-hours (TWh), or 1.5% of global electricity, a figure projected to reach 945 TWh by 2030—exceeding Japan’s annual power usage—according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
In 2024, digital giants accounted for 581 TWh, roughly 2.1% of global electricity demand, with just 10 companies—China Mobile, Amazon, Samsung Electronics, China Telecom, Alphabet, Microsoft, TSMC, China Unicom, SK Hynix, and Meta—driving 51.9% of this consumption, per data from 164 firms.
Emissions data from 166 companies showed they produced 297 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023, matching the combined output of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.
The report underscores the urgent need for transparency and regulation as the AI-driven digital economy expands, with data centers and tech giants at the forefront of an escalating energy challenge.
Without intervention, the environmental footprint of these technologies risks outpacing their transformative benefits.
Source: Al Jazeera
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