Archive · 6 Jun 2025
Tech Giants' Indirect Emissions Soar Amid AI Expansion, UN Report Says
Big tech companies that use AI, like Amazon and Microsoft, are using a lot more energy.
This is because the computers that run AI need tons of power, which is driving up their carbon emissions.
A report by the UN says these companies' indirect emissions have gone up a lot in just a few years.
Amazon's emissions went up the most.
These emissions come from things like the electricity the companies buy.
Although some companies are trying to use cleaner energy and reduce emissions, the overall trend is up.
This could become an even bigger problem as AI gets more popular and needs even more energy.
Indirect carbon emissions from four leading AI-focused tech companies rose 150% on average.
The ITU report says the increase is due to energy-intensive data centers.
Amazon saw the biggest rise in operational carbon emissions at 182% from 2020-2023.
AI's projected carbon emissions could reach 102.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
Data centers are increasing electricity use much faster than overall consumption.
- Who
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the U.N. agency for digital technologies
- What
- Indirect carbon emissions rose for major tech companies due to AI demands
- When
- Reported on Thursday, June 6, 2025
- Where
- Global operations
- Why
- The demand of power-hungry data centers for AI development are increasing emissions.
- Companies Analyzed
- Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta
- Emission Type
- Indirect emissions (electricity, etc.)
- Timeframe
- 2020-2023
- Average Emission Increase
- 150%
- Amazon's Emission Increase
- 182%
- Projected AI Emissions
- Up to 102.6 million tons CO2e/year