carbon-emissions datacentres climate-change big-tech

Datacentres drive up big tech's carbon emissions to a third of those of France

theguardian.com

July 12, 2026

3 min read

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Summary

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google emitted 119 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the financial year ending March 2026, a nearly 20% increase from the previous year's 101 million metric tonnes. Their combined emissions now represent about a third of France's total carbon emissions.

Key Takeaways

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google emitted 119 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in the financial year ending March 2026, a nearly 20% increase from the previous year.
The increase in carbon emissions is primarily driven by the construction of datacentres to support the growing demand for cloud services and AI technologies.
The three companies are projected to spend $765 billion in 2026 on building AI datacentres globally.
Microsoft, Google, and Amazon aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and 2040, despite the recent increases in their carbon footprints.

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Community Sentiment

Negative

Positives

The potential for AI to drive a transition to green energy is seen as a silver lining by some commenters, suggesting a brighter future despite current emissions.
There's a belief that datacenters could contribute to innovative solutions for carbon neutrality, indicating optimism about technological advancements.

Concerns

The rapid rise of datacenters consuming 23% of Ireland's electricity is alarming, highlighting the unsustainable growth in energy demand.
Skepticism surrounds the feasibility of claims about carbon neutrality, with some commenters labeling these goals as unrealistic or merely idealistic.
Concerns about the actual emissions from datacenters are raised, especially with the growing number of on-site gas turbines contributing to their carbon footprint.