Google's AI buildout drove 37% increase in electricity use in 2025
5 hours ago
- #AI Data Centers
- #Carbon Emissions
- #Clean Energy
- Google's annual electricity consumption rose by 37% in 2025, the largest increase in company history, largely due to AI data center expansion.
- Total electricity usage has grown over 250% since 2019, driven by Google Cloud, YouTube streaming, and data center operations for AI services.
- Data centers consumed over 42 million MWh in 2025, rivaling the electricity consumption of entire countries like New Zealand, Denmark, and Nigeria.
- Despite the surge in electricity use, Google reduced operational carbon emissions by 2% through continued purchases of clean energy.
- Supply chain emissions increased by 25% due to Asia-Pacific grids lacking sufficient carbon-free energy, leading to an 18% rise in total 'ambition-based emissions'.