A recent analysis has unearthed Google’s and Microsoft’s colossal electrical consumption, totalling 24 TWh worldwide. This exceeds the consumption of over 100 countries, including Azerbaijan, Jordan, and Iceland.
A recent Yahoo article not only compared the energy consumption of Microsoft and Google to various countries but also analyzed the revenue of these tech giants relative to those nations.
Microsoft posted a revenue of $211.9 billion in 2023, contributing to an economic impact potentially in the trillions. In contrast, countries with similar energy consumption, such as Azerbaijan, Slovakia, and Iceland, reported GDPs of approximately $78 billion, $127 billion, and $30 billion, respectively.
Leading in worldwide energy consumption, the two companies are also leading the tech industry in renewable energy adoption. Google, carbon neutral since 2007, aims to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy across all its data centers by 2030. In 2023, Google continued investing in renewable energy projects, expanding its portfolio to include wind, solar, and other renewable sources.
Microsoft has pledged to become carbon-negative by 2030, aiming to remove more carbon from the environment than it emits. In 2023, Microsoft expanded its contracted renewable energy assets to over 19.8 gigawatts, spanning 21 countries, and focused on reducing direct and indirect emissions associated with its operations and data centres.
The massive energy demands of high-tech companies, particularly their data centres, indicate the environmental challenges and the strides these companies are making toward sustainability.
