Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) carbon emissions have increased by almost 50% over the past five years due to increases in energy consumption in data centers and supply chain emissions driven by the energy demands of artificial intelligence systems, the company said. a week in his annual environmental report.

Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) said its emissions rose to 14.3 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023, up 48% from a 2019 base year and 13% from a year earlier, which appears to threaten the net zero commitment by 2030.

The company said energy-related emissions, mainly from electricity consumption in data centers, rose 37% year over year and accounted for 25% of its total greenhouse gas emissions.

The impact of AI on electricity demand is well-documented – electricity demand is forecast to enhance by as much as 20% by 2030, and AI-powered data centers alone are expected to enhance electricity demand in the US by about 323 TWh, CNBC reports.

Analysts at Bernstein recently stated that AI “will double the rate of growth of U.S. electricity demand, and total consumption could outpace current supplies within the next two years.”

Renewable energy sources are expected to play a major role in AI meeting energy demands, but Wells Fargo analyst Roger Read told CNBC that early implementation will be tough due to factors such as the time it takes to build power lines to transmit resources to data centers.

Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) isn’t the only tech giant to admit its emissions have risen due to demand for artificial intelligence; Microsoft reported in May that its emissions had increased by almost a third since 2020, largely due to data center construction.

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