Emissions from Big Tech companies rose 150% in 3 years as AI booms, UN report found

Published on 11/06/2025 - 11:21 GMT+2

Four of nan world’s biggest artificial intelligence (AI) companies saw nan indirect c emissions of their activity turn by complete 150 percent successful nan past 3 years, according to a study from a United Nations agency for integer technolgoies. 

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) tracked nan emissions, power use, and ambiance commitments of 200 starring integer companies betwixt 2020 and 2023 utilizing nationalist databases. 

The study recovered that Amazon, Microsoft, Google’s genitor institution Alphabet, and Meta person seen a emergence successful emissions that is either produced aliases purchased by nan companies because of "expanding information infrastructure and power use".

Indirect emissions are those that travel from purchased electricity, heat, steam, aliases energy use, for illustration successful information centres, telecommunication networks, aliases agency buildings. 

'Urgent need' to negociate AI’s biology impact

Amazon saw nan highest emissions summation astatine complete 182 per cent successful 2023 compared to 2020, followed by Microsoft astatine 155 per cent, Meta astatine 145 per cent, and Alphabet astatine 138 per cent, according to nan report. 

The depletion of information centres, which powerfulness nan AI models that these companies are moving on, besides roseate 12 percent twelvemonth complete twelvemonth from 2017 to 2023, which is 4 times faster than world power growth. 

The study "underscores nan urgent request to negociate AI’s biology impact," nan ITU said successful a statement. 

Euronews Next reached retired to nan applicable exertion companies regarding this study but did not person an contiguous reply. 

The study besides recovered that half nan assessed companies successful their study had committed to reaching net-zero by astatine slightest 2050 if not earlier. 

Despite these actions, nan study recovered that wide emissions still roseate meaning that net-zero targets "have not yet translated into real-world reductions".