Google's GHG Emissions Increase Due to AI
In its efforts to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its core products, Google faces a significant challenge related to the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. AI systems require extensive computing resources, and the data centres running these systems — essentially warehouses full of powerful computing equipment — consume substantial energy to process data and manage the heat produced by these computers.
Google’s 2023 Environmental Report: Surge in GHG Emissions
According to Google's annual environmental report, the company's greenhouse gas emissions have surged by 48% since 2019. Google attributes this growth mainly to "increased data centre energy consumption and supply chain emissions."
Google's Ambitious Goal for Net-Zero Emissions by 2030
Google now calls its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 "extremely ambitious," acknowledging that this pledge is likely to be affected by "the uncertainty around the future environmental impact of AI, which is complex and difficult to predict." The company's sustainability push has become more complicated due to AI.
Google’s Investment in AI and Its Impact on Emissions
Like other tech giants, Google has heavily invested in AI, which is seen as the next major tech revolution poised to change how we live, work, and consume information. The company has integrated its Gemini generative AI technology into some of its core products, including Search and Google Assistant, with CEO Sundar Pichai calling Google an “AI-first company.”
However, AI has a significant downside: the power-hungry data centres that Google and other Big Tech rivals are spending tens of billions of dollars each quarter to expand to fuel their AI ambitions.
AI vs Traditional Computing
Illustrating just how much more demanding AI models are compared to traditional computing systems, the International Energy Agency estimates that a Google search query requires 0.3 watt-hours of electricity on average, while a ChatGPT request typically consumes about 2.9 watt-hours. An October study by Dutch researcher Alex de Vries estimated that the "worst-case scenario" suggests Google’s AI systems could eventually consume as much electricity as the country of Ireland each year, assuming full-scale AI adoption in their current hardware and software.
Sustainability Challenges in Google’s AI Usage
Google acknowledges that further integrating AI into its products will challenge emission reduction efforts due to increasing energy demands from the greater intensity of AI computing. Data centre electricity consumption is currently growing faster than carbon-free electricity sources can be brought online.
Google’s Efforts to Address Emission Challenges
Google expects its total greenhouse gas emissions to continue rising before falling as the company seeks to invest in clean energy sources, such as wind and geothermal energy, to power its data centres.
Using AI to Combat Climate Change
Google is also experimenting with ways to use AI to fight climate change. For example, a 2019 Google DeepMind project trained an AI model on weather forecasts and historical wind turbine data to predict wind power availability, helping to increase the value of the renewable energy source for wind farmers. The company has also used AI to suggest more fuel-efficient routes to drivers using Google Maps.
"We know that scaling AI and using it to accelerate climate action is just as crucial as addressing the environmental impact associated with it," Google said in its report.
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