Google and Amazon both reported significant increases in carbon emissions in their latest sustainability reports. Google's total emissions rose 25% year over year, while Amazon's climbed 16%. Both companies had previously committed to net zero targets, but the energy demands of AI data centers are making those goals harder to reach. The reports point to rising energy consumption for AI systems and growing Scope 3 emissions from hardware purchases like GPUs and new data center construction. Amazon added over 1.2 GW of data center capacity in a single quarter. Even with investments in renewables, both companies are still relying on natural gas to power AI workloads. The article notes that this trend matters for developing countries like Uzbekistan, where digitalization plans need to account for energy efficiency from the start.
