Big Tech is betting billions on AI — but can climate promises keep up?
The technology's breakneck growth is testing tech giants’ climate credentials.
Jon Goldberg
August 22, 2025
Artificial intelligence is sparking a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are together projected to invest more than $300 billion in AI and data center infrastructure in 2025, and AI is expected to add more than $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
And federal pressure to build even bigger is mounting as well. In July, President Trump issued a sweeping executive order aimed at streamlining data center construction and permitting. With new government-backed support and an increasing commitment to AI growth, the industry now faces a critical question: “Can its climate commitments withstand this breakneck pace?”
A cynical narrative has emerged that chasing AI’s promise means abandoning decarbonization. Recent trends give some credence to this view. Google’s emissions jumped 48% from 2019 to 2023 and Microsoft’s emissions rose 30% since 2019 due to AI-supported data center expansion. Amazon’s emissions also increased in 2024, partially driven by new data center construction.
The reality, however, is more nuanced. Near-term emissions are increasing, but leading hyperscalers are doubling down on clean energy and decarbonization, simply because their AI ambitions depend on it.
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/big-tech-is-betting-billions-on-ai-but-can-climate-promises-keep-up/
