Google Carbon Emissions Improved Due To AI Push

Google produces more carbon emissions (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA Google is still having difficulty achieving its net zero emission target. In the 2025 Sustainability Report that was shared recently, Google stated that 'omission-based ambitions' increased last year.

The tech giant generated 11.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions last year, an increase of up to 11 percent. This figure also shows an increase of up to 51 percent when compared to the total carbon emissions produced in 2019.

Overall, Google reports show that the total carbon emissions they produce reach 15,185,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This amount is equivalent to emissions from 40 gas-powered power plants for a year.

There are several factors that underlie this increase, one of which is the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. According to Google, the presence of this technology makes the company's 'future energy needs and emissions track more difficult to predict'.

Despite experiencing an overall increase in carbon emissions, Google managed to reduce carbon emissions from data centers by up to 12 percent. However, the carbon emissions produced by data centers last year are still greater than in 2019.

AI does require enormous computing power to train models and run operations. Data centers that support this technology require a lot of energy.

This huge energy causes carbon emissions to continue to increase. This is not only happening in Google, but also in other technology companies such as Microsoft and Meta. Many technology companies are struggling to suppress carbon emissions while driving an increase in AI.

In addition to AI, Google also highlights other factors such as climate policy and lack of carbon-free energy solutions in certain markets. These external factors affect Google's cost, feasibility, and progress schedule in achieving its climate goals.